


A Time to Love

by samsimpala



Series: The Messenger of God Saga [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Demon Deals, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, OC, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Ruby Possessing Host Played by Katie Cassidy | Ruby 1.0, Season 3, Series Rewrite, Some Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:47:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 32
Words: 93,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26208154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samsimpala/pseuds/samsimpala
Summary: Dean is on the highway to Hell, but can the Winchesters and Angela save him from his deal? And will a whole new relationship between Sam and Angela begin? Who's this Ruby character and how will she affect said relationship? Find out what happens in ATtL! Revision of season 3. Sam/OC
Relationships: Sam Winchester/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Messenger of God Saga [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1888270
Kudos: 8





	1. The Magnificent Seven Part 1

**A/N: Welcome to the first chapter in the second installment of The Messenger of God Saga! It involves my OC, a hunter named Angela Morgan, and is a revision of Season 3. I do suggest that before reading this you read the first installment, The Taste of Loneliness to get a better understanding. The story will follow the perspective of Sam, Dean, and Angela, so some scenes may be cut out, but I am assuming most, if not all of you have seen the show. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not in any way, shape or form own Supernatural or the characters, just Angela. :)**

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were sitting in the Impala. Sam was reading a book, and the header at the top of the page read ‘Dr. Faustus’. Angela was paging through a book of her own and they looked up to see Dean inside the house across from them; he was wearing only an undershirt. Dean grinned and gave Sam and Angela a double-thumbs up, at which Sam just shook his head, smiling fondly and Angela giggled. A hot girl came into view, and Dean shut the curtains; they could be seen undressing each other in silhouette. Sam’s phone rang.

“Hello,” Sam greeted.

Angela looked up curiously when Sam spoke. She shrugged it off, knowing it was probably Bobby. She continued looking through her book.

 _“Hey, Sam.”_ Bobby's voice rang through.

“Hey, Bobby,” Sam replied.

 _“What’re you and Angie doing?”_ Bobby asked.

“Oh, same old, same old,” Sam muttered.

 _“You two buried in those books again?”_ Bobby asked. _“Sam, you two want to break Dean free of that demon deal, you ain’t gonna find the answer in no books.”_

“Then where, Bobby?” Angela asked after she had taken the phone.

_“Kid, I wish I knew. So, where’s Dean?”_

“Polling the electorate,” Angela replied without missing a beat.

 _“What?”_ Bobby asked, clearly confused.

“Never mind,” Angela replied.

 _“Well, you three better pack it up,”_ Bobby said. _“I think I finally found something.”_

Angela hung up and handed Sam his phone. Inside the house, Sam knocked on the bedroom door, opening it slightly.

“Dean?” Sam and Angela asked.

Sam and Angela quietly and cautiously walked into the room.

“Dean, you, you conscious?” Sam asked. “Bobby called, and he thinks that maybe we—

Sam and Angela stared in horror.

“Oh, God.” Angela cringed.

~/~\~

Later, Sam, Dean, and Angela were in the Impala.

“Someone let me see their knife,” Angela muttered.

“What for?” Dean asked.

“So we can gouge our eyes out,” Sam answered.

“It was a beautiful, natural act, guys,” Dean replied with a smirk.

“It’s a part of you we never wanted to see, Dean,” Angela muttered. “I mean, you’re Sam’s brother, and you’re like a brother to me.”

Dean chuckles and slapped Sam on the thigh, and grinned at Angela. “Hey, I appreciate you two giving me a little quality time with the Doublemint Twins.”

“No problem,” Sam said quietly.

“Really?” Dean asked. “Well, I got to say, I was expecting a weary sigh or an eye roll, something. Maybe a scoff from Angie.”

“Not at all.” Angela murmured. “You deserve to have a little fun.”

“Well, I’m in violent agreement with you there,” Dean replied. “What’s Bobby got?”

“Not much,” Sam replied. “Crop failure and a cicada swarm outside of Lincoln, Nebraska. Could be demonic omens.”

“Or could just be a bad crop and a bug problem,” Dean shrugged.

“Yeah, but it’s our only lead,” Angela replied.

“And freaky deaths?”

“No, nothing Bobby could find, not yet, anyway,” Sam answered.

“It’s weird, guys. I mean, the night the devil’s gate opened, all those weirdo storm clouds were sighted over how many cities?”

“Seventeen.” Sam and Angela replied simultaneously.

“Seventeen.” Dean nodded. “You think it would be ‘Apocalypse Now’, but it’s been five days and bubkis,” Dean muttered. Sam and Angela looked at him, startled, Dean paused. “What are the demons waiting for?”

“Beats us.” Angela shrugged.

“It’s driving me crazy,” Dean replied. “I tell you, if it’s gonna be war, I wish it would just start already.”

“I don’t know, man,” Sam replied. “Be careful what you wish for.”

~/~\~

The next morning, Dean, Sam, and Angela pulled up outside a farmhouse. Dean got out munching on a hamburger. The air was filled with the sound of cicadas.

“Hear those cicadas?” Angela asked.

“That can’t be a good sign.”

“No. No, it can’t.” Sam replied.

“So, we’re eating bacon cheeseburgers for breakfast, are we?” Bobby greeted them.

“Well, I sold my soul.” Dean shrugged. “Got a year to live. I ain’t sweating the cholesterol.”

“So, Bobby, what do you think?” Sam asked. “We got a biblical plague here or what?”

“Well, let’s find out. Looks like the swarm’s ground zero.” Bobby replied.

Dean pounded on the farmhouse door. “Candygram!”

They picked the lock and opened the door; Dean entered first, Sam and Angela behind him, their guns were drawn. They covered their noses in disgust.

“That’s awful.” Angela gagged.

“That so can’t be a good sign,” Dean muttered.

They crept through the house; stopping in the second room, they could hear what sounded like panicked screams.

“You hear that?” Sam asked.

They kicked open the next door; the sounds turned out to be coming from a television set, a family of three was seated on the couch, several days dead. Sam, Angela, and Dean recoiled at the increased stench.

“Oh my god,” Angela covered her mouth.

Bobby entered through the other side of the room and also recoiled in horror.

“Bobby, what the hell happened here?” Sam asked.

“I don’t know.” Bobby shrugged.

“Check for sulfur,” Dean said.

“Yeah.” Bobby nodded.

The four of them investigated the room; Dean heard a noise out front and signaled to the others that he was going to check it out. Bobby, Sam, and Angela circled around the other direction.

Out front, Dean exited cautiously, gun drawn, and looked around. As he came around the house he was knocked to the ground by a man with a shotgun, Isaac. His wife, Tamara came up behind him.

Bobby came up from the other side. “Isaac? Tamara?”

“Bobby,” Tamara greeted. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same,” Bobby replied.

“Heya, Bobby,” Isaac smiled.

Dean raised an arm pitifully from the ground. “Hello. Bleeding here.”

~/~\~

At Tamara and Isaac’s place, Dean was on the phone.

“Jenny!” he exclaimed. “That is a beautiful name. That’s my sister’s name, actually.” 

“Honey? Where’s the Palo Santo?” Isaac asked.

“Well, where’d you leave it?” Tamara asked.

“I don’t know, dear. That’s why I’m asking.”

“Palo Santo?” Sam and Angela asked.

“It’s holy wood, from Peru,” Tamara replied. “It’s toxic to demons like holy water. Keeps the bastards nailed down while you’re exorcising them.”

She dug in a bag and pulled out a large, pointed stake. She handed it to Isaac with an affectionate smile.

“Thank you, dear,” Isaac replied.

“You’d lose your head if it wasn’t for me.” She smiled.

“So, how long have you two been married?” Angela asked curiously.

“Eight years this past June,” Tamara replied.

“The family that slays together…” Isaac said.

“Right.” Sam nodded. “I’m with you there. So, how’d you get started?” he asked. There was an awkward silence. “Oh, you know… I’m sorry. It’s not, that’s none of my business.”

“It’s, it’s all right,” Tamara said.

“Well, Jenny, if you look as pretty as you sound, then I’d love to have an appletini.” He made a face. “Yeah. Call you.” He hung up and addressed the group. “That was the coroner’s tech.”

“And?” Angela asked.

“Get this, that whole family, cause of death? Dehydration and starvation. There’s no signs of restraint, no violence, no struggle. They just sat down and never got up.”

“But there was a fully stocked kitchen just yards away,” Bobby replied.

“What is this, a demon attack?” Sam asked.

“If it is, it’s not like anything I ever saw, and I’ve seen plenty,” Bobby said.

“Well, what now? What should we do?” Dean asked.

“Uh, we’re not gonna do anything,” Isaac said.

“What do you mean?” Angela asked, looking up at Isaac, arms folded across her chest. She had her eyebrows raised slightly.

“You guys seem nice enough, but this ain’t ‘scooby-doo’, and we don’t play well with others,” Isaac told her.

“Well, I think we’d cover a lot more ground if we all worked together,” Angela said.

“No offense, but we’re not teaming with the damn fools who let the devil’s gate get opened in the first place.”

“No offense?” Dean asked.

Sam pulled Angela back away from Isaac.

Tamara was astonished. “Isaac. Like you’ve never made a mistake.”

“Oh yeah, yeah.” Isaac nodded. “Locked my keys in the car, turned my laundry pink. Never brought on the end of the world, though.”

Angela broke from Sam’s grasp and glared at Isaac slightly. “Look, buddy- 

“All right. That’s enough.” Dean cut in. “Angie, stand next to Sam.”

She sighed and did so, crossing her arms.

“Guys, this isn’t helping,” Sam said quietly. “Dean—

“Look, there are a couple hundred more demons out there now,” Isaac said. “We don’t know where they are, when they’ll strike. There ain’t enough hunters in the world to handle something like this. You brought war down on us, on all of us.”

Tamara pulled Isaac away. “Okay. That’s quite enough testosterone for now.”

They left the room. Later, Bobby looked out the window, then shut the curtains. Out of the darkness beyond the house, a mysterious young woman stepped into the light. She stared at the house, calculating.

~/~\~

Policemen were taking forensic evidence at the murder scene as Sam and Angela watched. They went into the store.

~/~\~

In the store, Dean was chatting up a witness.

“What happened outside makes you realize how fragile life really is.” He said. “You got to make every second count."

Sam and Angela approached and Sam cleared his throat.

“Excuse me a minute, would you?” Dean asked.

“Sure.” The witness nodded, leaving.

“Dean, what are you doing?” Angela asked.

“I’m comforting the bereaved.” He replied. “What are you two doing?”

“Workin’,” Sam replied. “Dead body, possible demon attack, that kind of stuff.”

Dean coughed pathetically. “Guys, I’m sorry. I just, I don’t have much time left, and… got to make every second count.”

“Yeah, right. All right. Sorry.” Sam chastened.

“Apology accepted,” Dean grinned.

Bobby entered in a suit. His hair was slicked back. The three looked at him, impressed.

“Lookin’ good, Bobby.” Angela grinned.

“Whoa.” Dean whistled. “Looking spiffy, Bobby. What were you, a g-man?”

“Attorney for the D.A.’s office,” Bobby replied. “I just spoke to the suspect.”

“Yeah?” Sam asked. “So, what do you think? Is she possessed or what?”

“Don’t think so,” Bobby replied. “There’s none of the usual signs, no blackouts, no loss of control. Totally lucid. Just, she really wanted those shoes. Spilled a glass of holy water on her just to be sure; nothing.”

“Maybe she’s just some random whack job,” Dean said.

“If it had been an isolated incident, maybe, but first the family, now this?” Bobby asked. “I believe in a lot of things. Coincidence ain’t one of them. Did you three find anything around here?”

“No sulfur, nothing,” Angela replied.

“Well, maybe something.” Dean nodded to a security camera in the ceiling. “See? I’m working.”

~/~\~

In the security room, Sam and Angela were seated, watching the security footage, as Bobby and Dean hovered.

“Anything interesting?” Dean asked.

“I don’t know yet,” Sam muttered.

“Might just be a guy…” Angela added. They watched the redheaded man approach the blonde woman. “Or it might be our guy.”

~/~\~

Sam and Angela left and walked up the street. Sam had his hands in his pockets. Ruby, the mysterious woman from earlier slipped onto the street several paces behind them and followed. They sensed that they were being followed, stopped, and turned. She was gone.

Angela looked up at Sam. “Do you uh, do you feel like we’re being followed?”

“A bit… Yeah.” He muttered.

~/~\~

Dean and Bobby were staking out a bar, sitting in Bobby’s car.

“What time is it?” Bobby asked.

“Seven past midnight.”

“You sure this is the right place?”

“No. But I spent all day canvassing this stupid town with this guy’s stupid mug, and, supposedly, he drinks at this stupid bar.” Dean replied.

There was a loud pounding on the window; Bobby and Dean both jumped. It was Sam, who grinned at their discomfort, and Angela stood next to him laughing. They slipped into the backseat.

“That’s not funny!” Dean exclaimed.

“It kind of was.” Angela smiled.

“Yeah.” Sam nodded. “Uh, all right, so, so, John Doe’s name is Walter Rosen. He’s from Oak Park, just west of Chicago. Went missing about a week ago.”

“The night the devil’s gate opened?” Dean asked.

“Yeah.” Angela nodded.

“So you think he’s possessed?” Dean asked.

“It’s a good bet,” Angela replied. “So, what, he just walks up to someone, touches them, and they go stark raving psycho?”

“Those demons that got out at the gate, they’re gonna do all kinds of things we haven’t seen,” Bobby said.

“You mean the demons we let out?” Sam asked.

“Guys,” Dean said as he saw something.

The redheaded man got out of his car and walked towards the bar.

“All right. Showtime.” Dean said.

“Wait a minute,” Bobby replied.

“What?” Dead asked.

“What did I just say? We don’t know what to expect out of these guys. We should tail him till we know for sure.”

“Oh, so he kills someone and we just sit here with our junk in our hands?”

“We’re no good dead!” Bobby exclaimed. “And we’re not gonna make a move until we know what the score is.”

“Hey, Bobby, I don’t think that’s an option,” Angela frowned.

“Why not?”

Sam nodded, indicating another car that had just entered the lot. Isaac and Tamara got out and headed towards the bar.

“Dammit!” Bobby exclaimed.


	2. The Magnificent Seven Part 2

Bobby and Dean slammed themselves against the door, trying to force it open.

~/~\~

“Hold on.” The waitress smirked devilishly. “I like the girl.”

“Wish I had me a girl like that.” The redheaded man added.

“I can think of about a thousand things I’d like to do to her.” The waitress crooned.

“You’re not gonna lay one filthy finger on her!” Isaac yelled.

A man in a plaid shirt walked up to Isaac. “I got something for you.” He lifted a large bottle of drain cleaner. “Here. Have a drink on me, hmm?”

“Isaac?” Tamara asked, panicked.

“On the house!” the redheaded man exclaimed.

“Isaac!” Tamara yelled, restrained by the waitress.

Isaac took the bottle and began pouring its contents down his throat, as Tamara screamed and the demons cackled wildly.

“Isaac, no!” she screamed. “Baby, please!”

Isaac drained the bottle, shaking, and dropped it to the floor. He gagged in agony, foamy liquid and blood bubbling out through his mouth. He choked and collapsed to the floor, dead.

“Oh, he’s down!” the redheaded man said. “All right, honey. Your turn!” he looked at Tamara.

With a screech of tired, Bobby’s car burst through the front door of the bar. Dean, Sam, Angela, and Bobby got out, armed with holy water, which they flung violently into the crowd of demons. They backed up and Angela grabbed Tamara, who was still screaming frantically for Isaac.

“Come on, we got to go!” Angela yelled. “He’s dead! Get in the car!”

Sam saw Dean still immersed in the fight. “Dean, come on!” 

Dean had entered combat with the redheaded man; he opened the trunk just as he ran out of holy water; the redheaded man grinned. Dean overpowered him and stuffed him in the trunk, which was inscribed with a devil’s trap. The redheaded man screamed. Dean tumbled into the front seat of the car.

“Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go!” Dean yelled.

~/~\~

The redheaded man was tied to a chair under a devil’s trap on the ceiling; in the next room, an argument was ongoing.

“…and I say we’re going back, now!” Tamara yelled.

“We can’t!” Angela yelled back at her.

“Hold on a second,” Sam tried to mediate.

“I left my husband's body on the floor!”

“Okay, we understand that, but Angie’s right, we can’t go back.”

“Fine. Then you guys stay. But I’m heading back to that bar.”

“I’ll go with her.” Dean offered.

“It’s suicide, Dean!” Sam and Angela replied.

“So what? I’m dead already!”

“How you gonna kill ‘em?” Sam asked. “Can’t shoot ‘em. You can’t stab ‘em. They’re not just gonna wait in line to get exorcised!”

“I don’t care!” Tamara yelled.

“We don’t even know how many of them there are!” Angela replied.

Bobby walked into the room. “Yeah, we do. There’s seven. Do you have any idea who we’re up against?”

“No. Who?” Dean asked.

“The seven deadly sins, live and in the flesh!” Bobby replied.

Dean paused and grinned. “What’s in the box?!” he asked. There was an awkward silence. “Brad Pitt? Seven? No?” he asked. Bobby tossed him a book. “What’s this?”

“’Binsfeld’s classification of demons.’” Bobby said. “In 1589, Binsfeld ID’d the seven sins, not just as human vices but as actual devils.”

“The family, they were touched by Sloth.” Sam and Angela said. “And the shopper…”

“That’s Envy’s doing, the customer we got in the next room,” Bobby replied. “I couldn’t suss it out at first, until Isaac. He was touched with an awful Gluttony.”

“I don’t give a rat’s ass if they’re the Three Stooges or the Four Tops!” Tamara yelled. “I’m gonna slaughter every last one of them!”

“We already did it your way,” Bobby replied. “You burst in there half-cocked and look what happened! These demons haven’t been topside in half a millennium! We’re talking medieval, dark ages! We’ve never faced anything close to this! So we are gonna take a breath…” he said. “And figure out what our next move is!” he shouted. “I am sorry for your loss.” 

~/~\~

In the demon holding room, Envy chuckled. “So you know who I am, huh?”

“We do. We’re not impressed.” Bobby replied.

“Why are you here? What are you after?” Angela asked.

“She asked you a question,” Dean glared. “What are you want?”

Envy chuckled condescendingly; Dean opened a flask of holy water and splashed him.

“Ya! Ohh!” Envy yelled. “We already have what we want.”

“What’s that?” Dean asked.

“We’re out. We’re free. Thanks to you, my kind are everywhere. I am Legion, for we are many. So me, I’m just celebrating. Having a little fun.”

“Fun?” Sam asked.

“Yeah. Fun. See, some people crochet. Others golf. Me? I like to see people’s insides… on their outside.”

“I’m gonna put you down like a dog,” Tamara growled.

“Please.” Envy laughed. “You really think you’re better than me.” He kept laughing. “Which one of you can cast the first stone, huh? What about you, Dean? You’re practically a walking billboard of gluttony and lust. And Tamara. All that wrath. Ooh. Tsk, tsk, tsk. It’s the reason you and Isaac became hunters in the first place, isn’t it? It’s so much easier to drink in the rage than to face what really happened all those years ago.”

Face twisted in anger, Tamara smacked him, hard, until Dean and Bobby pulled her back.

“Aah! Whew!” Envy exclaimed. He laughed. “My point exactly. And you call us sins. We’re not sins, man. We are natural human instinct. And you can repress us and deny us all you want, but the truth is, you are just animals. Horny… greedy… hungry… violent animals. And you know what? You’ll be slaughtered like animals, too. The others, they’re coming for me.”

“Maybe.” Dean nodded. “But they’re not gonna find you… ‘cause you’ll be in hell. Someone send this clown packing.”

“My pleasure,” Tamara replied. She began reading. “Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica…”

As she continued, the others left, and Envy screamed.

~/~\~

“I don’t think we’re gonna have to worry about hunting them,” Bobby noted.

“What does that mean?” Angela frowned.

“I think maybe this joker’s right. They’re gonna be hunting us. And they’re not gonna quit easy.”

“You guys, why don’t you take Tamara and head for the hills?” Dean asked. “I’ll stay back, slow them down, buy you a little time.”

“You’re insane, Dean. Just forget about it, okay?” Sam replied.

“Sam’s right,” Bobby said.

“There’s six of them, guys. We’re outmanned, we’re outgunned. We’ll be dead by dawn.”

“Maybe, but there’s no place to run that they won’t find us,” Bobby said.

“Look, if we’re going down, we’re going down together, all right?” Angela replied.

“Then let’s not make it easy for them,” Dean shrugged.

From the other room, Envy gave a final scream; the house shook and a gust of wind blew out the candles. Tamara slammed the book shit and came into the other room.

“Demon’s out of the guy.” She said.

“And the guy?” Angela asked.

“He didn’t make it,” Tamara replied coldly.

~/~\~

Dean was seated on the floor with a row of candles behind him, loading a shotgun. Sam and Angela were across the room, filling flasks with holy water. The two looked over at Dean, who was looking back at them. They watched each other silently for a moment until the lights began to flicker. They looked around. And old radio sparked to life, playing a scratchy tune.

Dean cocked the shotgun and stood. “Here we go.”

Outside, a demon in Isaac’s body approached. “Tamara! Tamara! Tamara! Tamara! Help me! Please!”

~/~\~

“Tamara! I got away, but I’m hurt bad! I need help!”

Bobby looked at her. “It’s not him. It’s one of those demons. It’s possessing his corpse.”

Isaac pounded on the door. “Baby! Why won’t you let me in? You left me behind back there. How could you do that? We swore… at that lake in Michigan. Remember? We swore we would never leave each other!”

Tamara was sobbing. “How did he know that?”

“Steady, Tamara,” Bobby said.

“You just gonna leave me out here? You just gonna let me die?! I guess that’s what you do, dear! Like that night those things came to our house… came for our daughter! You just let her die, too.”

“You son of a bitch!” she screamed.

“Tamara, no!” Bobby yelled.

She pushed the door open, breaking the salt line and tackled the demon down the steps. She landed on top of him and raised the Palo Santo.

“You’re not Isaac!”

She plunged the wood deep into his chest; it sizzled, and he screamed.

The other six demons crossed the broken salt line and entered the house. One, an overweight middle-aged guy, cornered Bobby, who backed up slowly. He stalked Bobby confidently, smiling, until he stopped as if he’s run into an invisible wall. He looked around, confused. He was under another ceiling devil’s trap. 

“Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son,” Bobby chastised.

In another hallway, Dean was cornered by the waitress, Lust. They fought; she advanced on him.

Meanwhile, Bobby began reading the exorcism for Sloth, the demon he had trapped.

“Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica…” Bobby chanted.

Dean was backed into the bathroom.

“I suppose you’re Lust.” He said.

“Baby, I’m _whatever_ you want me to be.”

“Just stay back.”

“Or what?” she challenged.

“Good point.”

“I’m not gonna hurt you, not yet. Not unless you want me to.”

She ran a hand along his shoulder; he looked down at her, then fell into her embrace. They kissed passionately.

Upstairs, a demon kicked a door in clear across the room. Sam and Angela looked around as the demon, a young man in a business suit entered.

“Here’s Johnny!” the demon yelled.

He advanced confidently as Sam and Angela backed up; then stopped, holding up a hand to hold back the two demons flanking them. He looked up to see the devil’s trap on the ceiling and smirked.

“Come on. You really think something like that is gonna fool someone like me? I mean, me?”

“Let me guess, you’re Pride,” Angela muttered.

Pride grinned and gestured to the ceiling. A long splitting crack appeared, destroying the symbol.

“The root of all sin.” He smirked. “And you two… are Angela Morgan and Sam Winchester. That’s right. I’ve heard of you. We’ve all heard of you.” He said. He looked at Angela. “The fighter. The princess.” He snarled. He looked at Sam. “And the prodigy. The boy king. Looking at you two now, I got to tell you, don’t believe the hype. Personally, I think yellow-eyes was gonna let you two live anyway. I mean, you’re a match made in… well, Hell.” He shrugged. “You think I’m gonna bow to two cut-rate, piss-poor humans like you? I have my pride, after all. And now with your yellow-eyed friend dead, I guess I don’t really have to do a damn thing, now do I? You two are fair game now, and it’s open season.”

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Dean was backing up, still kissing Lust, until he hit a shower curtain. In one move he flipped them around, pulled open the shower curtain, and plunged her face-first into the bathtub. It was filled with holy water; she screamed in agony.

Upstairs, Pride flung Angela clear across the room. He then knocked Sam to the ground, then pulled him up with one arm wrapped around his throat and began strangling him. The mysterious young woman, Ruby, appeared, a knife strapped to her right thigh. She pulled the knife out, gritted her teeth, and slashed the throat of the first demon, Gluttony. Fiery light appeared in the cut, and he went down, dead.

“You!” Greed yelled at her.

She turned to Greed, who punched her twice, then plunged the knife upwards into its chin. Pride let Sam go to tackle Ruby; Sam pulled him away and punched him in the face, putting him right into the path of Ruby’s knife. She plunged it upward into his chin, and he collapsed in a shower of sparks and demonic energy.

Angela walked over, rubbing her head, which she had hit against the wall. “Who the hell are you?”

“I’m the girl that just saved your asses.”

“Well, I just saved yours too,” Sam said to Ruby.

She chuckled. “See you around, Sam.” She replied before she looked at Angela. “Angela.” 

“Wait!” Sam exclaimed.

He pulled Angela into the hall to follow her, but she was already gone.

~/~\~

The next morning, Sam, Angela, and Dean piled the corpses of the demons that didn’t survive into a shallow pit and began pouring salt and fuel over them. Several yards away, Tamara was standing in front of a different pyre, Isaac’s.

“This she’s gonna be all right?” Angela asked.

“No,” Dean said. “Definitely not.”

Bobby came out of the house, looking exhausted.

“Well, you look like hell warmed over,” Dean said.

“You try exorcising all night and see how you feel.”

“Any survivors, Bobby?” Sam asked.

“Well, the pretty girl and the heavy guy, they’ll make it. Lifetime of therapy bills ahead, but, still…”

“That’s more than you can say for these poor bastards.”

“Bobby, that knife, what kind of blade can kill a demon?” Sam asked.

“Yesterday, I would have said there was no such thing.”

“I’m just gonna ask it again, who was that masked chick? Actually, the more troubling question would be, ‘how come a girl other than Angie can fight better than you?’” Dean replied.

“Three demons, Dean. At once.” Sam said. “Even Angie had trouble!”

“Hey, whatever it takes to get you through the night, pal,” Dean replied.

“Yeah, well, if you want a troubling question, I got one for you,” Angela mused.

“What’s that?”

“If we let out the seven deadly sins, what else did we let out?” she asked.

“You’re right. That is troubling.” Dean nodded.

Dean lit a matchbook and tossed it into the pyre.

~/~\~

“See you guys around,” Tamara said.

“Tamara? The world just got a lot scarier. Be careful.” Bobby replied.

“You too.” She got in her car and took off.

“Keep your eyes peeled for omens. I’ll do the same.”

“You got it.” Dean nodded.

“Wait, Bobby,” Angela said. “We can win this war, right?”

He didn’t answer the question. “Catch you on the next one.”

“So, where to?” Dean asked.

“Uh, I don’t know. Angie and I were thinking Louisiana maybe.” Sam said.

“Little early for Mardi Gras, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. Listen, Angie and I were talking to Tamara, and she mentioned this hoodoo priestess outside of Shreveport that might be able to help us out. You know, with you, with your demon deal.”

“Nah.”

“Nah? What does that mean, ‘nah’?” Angela asked.

“Sam, Angie, no hoodoo spell’s gonna break this deal. It’s a goose chase.”

“We don’t know that,” Sam argued.

“Yes, we do. Forget it. She can’t help. We’re not going, and that’s that. What about Reno, huh?”

“You know what? I’ve had it.” Sam said. “Angie and I have been bending over backward trying to be nice to you, and… I don’t care anymore.”

“Sam…” Angela muttered.

“That didn’t last long,” Dean said.

“Yeah, well, you know what? We’ve been busting our asses trying to keep you alive, Dean, and you act like you could care less. What, you got some kind of death wish or something?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Then what’s it like, Dean?” Sam raised a brow.

“Sam—

“Please, tell us,” Sam replied.

“We trap the crossroads demon, trick it, try to welch our way out of the deal in any way? You two die? Okay? You two die. Those are the terms. There’s no way out of it. If you guys try to find a way, so help me god, I’m gonna stop you two.”

Angela sighed. “How could you make that deal, Dean?”

“’Cause I couldn’t live with you two dead. Couldn’t do it.”

“So, what, now we live and you die?” she asked.

“That’s the general idea, yeah.”

“Yeah, well, you’re a hypocrite, Dean,” Sam said. “How did you feel when dad sold his soul for you? ‘Cause I was there. I remember. You were twisted and broken. And now you go and do the same thing. To us. What you did was selfish.”

“Yeah, you’re right. It was selfish. But I’m okay with that.”

“I’m not,” Sam replied.

“Tough. After everything I’ve done for this family, I think I’m entitled. Truth is, I’m tired, guys. I don’t know, it’s like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.”

“It’s hellfire, Dean,” Sam deadpanned.

“Whatever. You two are alive, I feel good, for the first time in a long time. I got a year to live, guys. I’d like to make the most of it. So what do you say we kill some evil sons of bitches and we raise a little hell, huh?”

“You’re unbelievable,” Angela replied.

“Very true, Angie.” Dean nodded.


	3. The Kids Are Alright Part 1

Sam and Angela were sitting at a table in a generic diner. Angela was on his laptop and Sam was talking on the phone. Dean was nowhere to be seen and Sam seemed a bit frantic.

“What do you mean you don’t think it will work, Bobby?” Sam asked. “It’s a demon-dispelling ritual," he paused for a moment. “Well, maybe we got the translation wrong. Look, we can’t just let Dean fry in hell while we… there’s got to be something.” He added as he saw Dean approaching. “Yeah. No. I gotta go. Okay. Never mind.”

Dean entered, looking suspiciously at Sam. “Hey. Who was that?”

“I was just ordering pizza,” Sam replied awkwardly.

Angela smiled and stifled a giggle at the excuse as she worked.

Dean looked around. “Dude, you do realize that you’re in a restaurant?”

“Yeah.” Sam nodded. “Yeah. Oh, yeah. Angie and I just felt like pizza, you know?”

Dean sat across from them. “Okay, Weirdy Mcweirderton. So, I think I got something.”

“Yeah?” Sam and Angela asked.

“Cicero, Indiana,” Dean replied. “Falls on his own power saw.”

“And?” Angela raised a brow. “That, that’s it? One power saw?”

“Well… yeah.” Dean nodded.

“And you think that this is a case?” she asked.

“Well, I don’t know. Could be.”

“I don’t know, Dean,” Sam shook his head.

“Okay, there’s something better in Cicero than just a case,” Dean admitted.

“And that is?” Angela asked.

“Lisa Braeden.”

“Should we even ask?” Sam raised a brow.

“Remember that road trip I took, uh… gosh, about eight years ago now? You were in Orlando with dad wrapping up that banshee thing.”

“Yeah.” Sam nodded. “The five states, five-day—

“Well, kind of.” Dean nodded. “Although I spent most of my time in Lisa Braeden’s loft.”

“So let me get this straight,” Angela started. “You want to drive all the way to Cicero just to hook up with some random chick?”

“She was a yoga teacher.” Dean shrugged. “It was the bendiest weekend of my life. Come on guys, have a heart, huh? It’s my dying wish.”

“How many dying wishes are you gonna get?” Sam asked.

“As many as I can squeeze out. Come on. Smile, guys! I’m gonna be smiling after 24 hours with Gumby girl.” He chuckled to himself. “Gumby girl.” He frowned. “Does that make me Pokey?”

~/~\~

Dean pulled up outside of a motel in Cicero, Indiana, Dean stopped to let Sam and Angela out.

“Don’t wait up for me, guys.” Dean smiled. “And don’t try anything while I’m gone.” He teased, winking.

Angela rolled her eyes. “Alright, Dean.”

“Wait, Dean. Dean, you… Dean!” Sam yelled.

Dean drove off.

~/~\~

Outside a nicely kept suburban house, Dean rang the doorbell. The door opened to reveal Lisa, late 20’s, brunette, very fit; she was gorgeous. Dean smiled awkwardly, Lisa stared at him in surprise.

“Lisa,” Dean smiled charmingly. “How’s it going? Wow. So, how long has it been?”

“Eight, going on nine years now.”

“Crazy, right?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “So, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, I was just passing through, and I couldn’t resist. I remember that you love surprises.”

“Yeah. Dean Winchester. Wow. Just… wow. I’m, I’m sorry. You kind of came at a bad time. We’re having a party.”

“A party?” he smiled. “Well, I love parties.”

He nudged past her and entered the house; she took a deep breath and shut the door behind them. She led him into the backyard, which was decorated for a kid’s birthday party.

“So, uh, who’s the party for?”

“Ben. My son.”

“Oh, you have a—

“Yep.” She nodded. She gestured across the yard to a young boy wearing a black jacket and jeans. He was opening presents. “That’s him.”

“Yes! AC/DC rules!” Ben grinned.

“How old—

“Eight,” Lisa replied. She noticed someone’s mother walking into the yard. “Oh, Dean, could you excuse me a minute?”

Dean was stunned. “Yeah, sure. Don’t mind me.”

Two women were sitting in lawn chairs, watching Dean pace awkwardly. They were whispering to each other in gossiping tones.

“Did you hear Lisa call him ‘Dean’?” the first woman asked.

“Yeah. Why?” the second woman asked.

“You don’t know about Dean? The Dean? Best-night-of-my-life-Dean.”

“No. Tell me.”

“Oh, my god, so, they had this crazy, semi-illegal—

“Hi,” Dean waved.

“Hi.” The second woman replied.

“Hello.” The first woman smirked flirtatiously.

Dean looked very uncomfortable, smiled nervously, and fled. He found Ben and a piece of cake.

“What’s up?” Dean asked.

“What’s up with you?”

“So it’s your birthday.”

“Guilty,” Ben replied.

“It’s a cool party.”

“Dude, it’s so freakin’ sweet. And this moon bounce, it’s epic.”

Dean was slightly weirded out. “Yeah. It’s pretty awesome.”

“You know who else thinks they’re awesome?” Bed asked. “Chicks. It’s like hot-chick city out there.”

A woman and her little girl walked by; in unison, Dean checked out the mom as Ben checked out the girl. Dean looked back, looked at Ben, thought frantically, and darted inside the house.

~/~\~

Lisa was talking to the mother, who was looking very frazzled.

“So… how you holding up?” Lisa asked.

“Fine.”

“Really?”

“Oh, you know. I just… never mind.”

“What?”

“It’s just… I’m worried about Katie. I think there might be something… wrong with her.”

“Of course there is. The poor girl just lost her dad. She’s devastated.”

“No.” the mother shook her head. “That’s not what I’m talking about. There is something really… wrong with her. I’m not sure that Katie is… Katie.”

“What?”

“I’m not sure that’s my daughter.”

“I know you’re grieving, but you can’t talk like that. Katie needs you, but you don’t understand, seriously. We’re gonna get you help. It’ll be okay.”

As Dean entered, the mother shook her head and ran outside to her daughter. Dean watched her leave, confused.

“Katie?” the mother asked from outside. “Come on, we’re leaving.”

“So, I, uh, met Ben,” Dean said. “Cool kid.”

“Yeah.” Lisa nodded.

“I couldn’t help but notice that, uh, he’s turning eight. You and me… you know.”

“You’re… not trying to ask me if he’s yours?” Lisa asked.

“No. No, of course not.” Dean replied. “He’s not, is he?” he asked after a beat.

“What?” Lisa asked and Dean raised his eyebrows. “No."

“Right.” Dean nodded. He looked out at Katie and her mom. “Something wrong with your friend?”

“She’s been through a lot. Her ex just died in this horrible accident.”

“Oh, yeah. Didn’t I just read about that? The power saw.”

“Yeah.” Lisa nodded. “Guess there’s been a lot of bad luck in the neighborhood lately.”

“What kind of bad luck?”

~/~\~

Sam was sitting in the diner, again and Angela was in the bathroom. He had his laptop open. A young woman, Ruby sat across from him.

“Hello, Sam.” She greeted. “Where’s your girlfriend?”

“You’ve been following us since Lincoln,” Sam narrowed his eyes. “And she’s in the bathroom. And we’re not dating…”

“Not much gets by you, huh?” Ruby asked. She took a plate, squirted a mound of ketchup onto it, and started eating Angela’s fries. “These are amazing. It’s like deep-fried crack. Try some.”

“That knife you had,” Sam started. “You can kill demons with that thing?”

“Sure comes in handy when I have to swoop in and save the damsels in distress.”

“Where did you get it?”

“Skymall.”

“Why are you following us?”

“I’m interested in you two.” Ruby shrugged. “More so you than Angela though.”

“Why?” Sam frowned.

“Because you’re tall. And I love a tall man.” Ruby replied. “And then there’s the whole antichrist thing. That’s what makes you _both_ interesting.”

“Excuse me?” Sam asked.

“Generation of psychic kids, yellow-eyed demon rounds you up, celebrity deathmatch ensues. You two are the sole survivors. Pride was right. Match made in Hell.” She smirked slightly.

“How do you know about that?” Sam asked.

“I’m a good hunter.” She shrugged. “So, yellow eyes had some pretty big plans for you two, Sam. Pride was also right in that aspect. I think yellow eyes would have let you both live if it wasn’t for Jake.”

“’Had’ being the keyword,” Sam mumbled.

“Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s right.” Ruby nodded. “Ding-dong, the demon’s dead. Good job with that. It doesn’t change the fact you two are special… in that Anthony Michael Hall E.S.P. visions kind of way.” She added as Angela sat down. “Angela.” 

Angela looked at Ruby. “Oh… you again. Um, hi.” 

Sam smiled slightly at Angela and frowned at Ruby. “No. That stuff’s not happening anymore. Not since Yellow-Eyes died.”

“What stuff, the visions?” Angela asked him. She looked at Ruby and nodded. “Yeah, they’re gone.”

“Well, I’m thinking you two are still a pretty big deal. I mean, after all that business with your moms.”

“What about our moms?” Angela asked.

“You do know that they knew each other, right? And you know, what happened to their friends.” Ruby replied. She looked at them. “You… don’t know. You two have a little bit of catching up to do, my friends. So, why don’t you look into your moms’ pals, and then give me a call and we’ll talk again?” she added. She got up to leave. “And, by the way, you two do know there’s a job in this town, right?”

~/~\~

Sam had Dean on speaker in the motel room.

“Hello.” Sam and Angela said.

 _“Guys, there is a job here,”_ Dean replied.

“Really?” Angela asked.

 _“Yeah,”_ Dean said. _“You know that one freak accident we read about in the paper?”_ he asked. _“There’s four more that never even made the paper, all in this Morning Hill gated community. People falling off of ladders and drowning in their Jacuzzis all over the neighborhood.”_

“That is weird.” Angela nodded.

 _“Yeah, something’s up,”_ Dean agreed. _“Something these nice, big gates can’t protect them from.”_

~/~\~

Sam, dressed in a dark suit and Angela dressed in a blouse, blazer and pencil skirt were posing as insurance agents and speaking to another young mother.

“So, once again, we’re very sorry to disturb you,” Angela said. “We just really want to expedite that life-insurance policy.”

“Of course. Okay.” The mother nodded. She took them around back, where a ladder leaned against the wall. “This is, um, where he fell.”

“I see.” Sam nodded. “Now, how exactly did he—

“He was just inside changing the light bulb. Must have lost his balance.”

“Were you here when this happened?” Angela asked.

“No. I was out. Uh, the only one here was our daughter, Dakota.”

She gestured inside, where a creepy little girl was looking out at them. Something dark red was smudged on the window.

“Okay,” Sam replied. “Okay. Well, uh, I think that’s all we need. We’ll get out of your way now.”

“Thank you.” The mother said.

She turned and went up the steps with Sam and Angela behind her. They saw a strange bruise on the back of her neck.

~/~\~

Ben was sitting sadly on a park bench. Dean saw him, went over, and sat next to him.

“Hey, Ben.”

“Hey. You were at my party.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m Dean.” He nodded. “Everything okay? Something wrong?” he asked. He looked over to a group of boys that were playing with a Gameboy-type thing. “Is that your game they’re playing with?”

“Ryan Humphrey borrowed it, and now he won’t give it back.”

“Well, you want me to go…”

“No!” Ben replied. “Don’t go over there! Only bitches send a grown-up.”

“You’re not wrong.”

“And I’m not a bitch.” Ben replied.

“Is that Humphrey? The one that needs to lay off the burgers?”

Ben nodded, smiling slightly. Dean leaned in conspiratorially.

~/~\~

Ben walked across the park to the group of boys. They were all bigger than he was.

“Ryan. I’d like my game back, please.”

“Fine. Take it back.” Ryan replied threateningly.

Ben looked back at Dean, nervous; Dean gave him an encouraging thumbs-up. Ben looked back at Ryan, then turned as if to leave.

“See?” Ryan asked. “Told you guys he was a—

Ryan cut off as Ben turned back suddenly and kicked Ryan hard between the legs. Ryan crumpled to the ground, and Ben took the game back. He went back to the bench and a grinning Dean.

“Thanks. Dude, that was awesome!” ben grinned.

“Benjamin Isaac Braeden!” Lisa yelled, who had seen the end of the exchange. “What’s gotten into you?”

“He stole my game.”

“So you kick him? Since when is…” she started. She looked at Dean, who was still grinning. “Did you tell my son to beat up that kid?”

“What?” he shrugged. “Somebody had to teach him how to kick the bully in the nads.”

“Who asked you to teach him anything?”

“Just relax.”

“What are you even still doing here?” Lisa asked. “We had one weekend together a million years ago. You don’t know me. You have no business with my son.”

“Lisa.”

“Just leave us alone.”

She and Ben began to leave, but Ben pulled out of her grip and ran back to give Dean an impulsive hug.

“Ben!” Lisa yelled.

“Thanks,” Ben said to Dean. He ran back to Lisa and they left.


	4. The Kids Are Alright Part 2

Sam was at his computer, Angela next to him, doing research when Dean walked in.

“Something’s wrong with the kids in this town,” Dean broke the silence.

“Yeah.” Angela nodded. “Tell me about it.

Sam was looking at several documents on Changelings. “So, what do you know about Changelings?”

“Evil monster babies?” Dean asked.

“No, not necessarily babies,” Angela muttered.

Realization dawned on Dean. “The kids. Creepy, ‘stare at you like you’re lunch’ kids?”

“Yeah.” Sam nodded. “There’s one at every victim’s house.”

~/~\~

Later, Sam and Angela were seated on the bed doing more research, as Dean prepared a kerosene torch.

“So, Changelings can perfectly mimic children,” Angela started. “According to lore, they climb in the window, snatch the kid. There were marks on the windowsill at one of the kid’s houses. Looked to me like blood.”

“The Changeling grabs a kid, assumes its form, joins the happy fam just for kicks?” Dean asked.

“Not quite,” Sam replied. “Changelings feed on the mom: synovial fluid. The moms have these odd bruises on the back of their necks. Changelings can drain them for a few weeks before mom finally croaks.”

“And then there’s dad and the babysitter,” Dean replied.

“Yeah,” Angela said. “Seems like anyone who gets between the Changeling and its food source ends up dead.

Dean held up the torch. “And fire’s the only way to waste them?” he asked. Sam and Angela nodded. “Great. We’ll just bust in, drag the kids out, torch them on the front lawn. That will play great with the neighbors. What about the real ones? What happens to them?”

“They stash them underground somewhere,” Sam replied. “We don’t know why, but if it’s true, the real kids might be out there.”

“We better start looking,” Dean replied. “So, any kid in the neighborhood is vulnerable?”

“Yep.” Sam and Angela replied.

“We gotta make a stop. I want to check on someone.” Dean stressed.

“If the real kids are still alive, we don’t have time,” Sam replied.

“We have to,” Dean replied firmly.

~/~\~

Dean rang the doorbell, and Lisa opened the door looking bewildered.

“Dean?”

“I was thinking… Ben’s birthday. I didn’t bring him a present.”

“That’s okay.”

“No. No, no, I feel terrible, so uh…” he handed her a credit card. “Here. Take a long weekend, just the two of you, on me.”

“What?”

“I hear Six Flags is great this time of year. Go now. Avoid the traffic.”

“Siegfried Houdini.” She read the name on the card out loud. “Whose card is this?”

“Mine. Never mind. It’ll work. I promise.”

“You should leave.”

“Lisa…”

Ben came down the stairs. “Mommy, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Ben,” Dean replied. “It’s cool.”

“Make him go away, mommy.”

“You heard him. Get out.”

“Lisa… I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Get out!”

Dean went back to the Impala and shook his head.

“They took Ben. He’s changed.”

“What?!” Angela asked. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. I checked his windowsill.”

“Blood?” Sam asked.

“I don’t think it is blood, and I think I know where the kids are,” Dean replied.

~/~\~

There was a large mound of dirt outside the semi-finished home. Sam and Angela inspected it.

“Red dirt,” Sam muttered.

“That’s what was on the window,” Dean said. “You two take the front. I’ll go around.”

~/~\~

Inside, Dean found a series of cages, each containing abducted kids. He saw Ben.

“Ben… Ben… it’s okay. I’m gonna get you out of here.”

In the back, a real estate woman saw Sam and Angela.

“What do you two think you’re doing?” she asked. “This is private property. I’m calling the police. You heard me! Get out!”

Sam reached for his bag and grabbed Angela’s hand. “Let me get my bag. We’re going. We don’t mean to cause any trouble.”

~/~\~

Dean was helping the kids out. “It’s ok. Get out here, okay? Come on, girls! Come on!” he said. He cleared off a windowsill and prepared to smash the glass. “Everybody back! Everybody back!”

Ben helped to usher the other kids away.

“Cover your eyes!”

Dean broke the window with a plank of wood and began to brush the glass off.

Ben took off his jacket. “Here. Use this.”

“All right. All right, Ben. Come on.” Dean replied.

Ben indicated another kid. “Him first.”

Sam and Angela ran in.

“Hey! Dean!” Angela called out. “There’s a mother.”

“A mother Changeling?”

“We got to get these kids out quick,” Sam said.

“Right there. There’s one more.” Dean replied. “You got to break the lock!”

“I guess that’s why the Changelings are keeping the kids alive, so the mom can snack on them,” Angela noted.

~/~\~

“Ben, get them out of here!” Dean shouted.

Ben helped the other kids up and out the window as Dean, Sam and Angela confronted the Changeling mom. Eventually, they burned her to a crisp with Dean’s homemade torch; as she went up in flames, Ben, Katie, and all the other Changeling kids, also disappeared.

~/~\~

Dean, Sam, and Angela drove Ben back home; he ran out to hug his mom.

“Ben?!” Lisa exclaimed. “Ben! Baby, are you okay?”

“I’m okay, mom.”

“Oh, my god. What the hell just happened?”

“I’ll explain everything if you want me to, but, trust me, you probably don’t. The important thing is that Ben’s safe.

“Thank you. Thank you.” Lisa replied.

“We’re gonna give you guys some time.” Angela smiled softly. She took Sam’s hand in hers and led him out.

~/~\~

Ben was sitting at the kitchen table, listening to something on his portable CD player. Dean and Lisa talked in the hallway.

“Come on. Changelings?” Lisa asked.

“You know how I never mentioned my job? This is my job.”

“I so didn’t want to know that.” She replied. She looked at Ben. “Do you think he’ll be okay?”

“Yeah. I think he’ll be fine.” He replied. There was a beat. “Okay. Seriously… I mean, you’re a hundred percent sure that he is not mine, right?”

Lisa smiled. “You’re off the hook. I did a blood test when he was a baby. There was this guy, some bar back in a biker joint.” She said. “What? I had a type. Leather jacket, couple of scars, no mailing address? I was there. Guess I was a little wild back then. Before I became a mom. So yeah. You can relax.”

“Good.” Dean nodded. He looked at Ben a little wistfully.

“I… I swear you look disappointed.”

“Yeah, I don’t know.” Dean shrugged. “It’s weird, you know your life… I mean, this house and a kid… it’s not my life. Never will be. Some stuff happened to me recently, and, uh… anyway, a guy in my situation, you start to think, you know. I’m gonna be gone one day, and what am I leaving behind besides a car? I don’t know.”

“Ben may not be your kid, but he wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for you. That’s a lot if you ask me.”

“You know, just for the record… you got a great kid,” Dean replied. “I would have been proud to be his dad.”

Lisa kissed him. “Look, if, um… if you want to stick around for awhile… you’re welcome to stay.”

Dean paused wistfully. “I can’t. I got a lot of work to do, and it’s not my life.”

~/~\~

Sam was talking to several different people on the phone, while Angela crossed names off a list.

“Hi. I need to check some facts with your, uh… with your secretary about a fire that occurred on November 24, 2006, in Lawrence, Kansas.” Sam said. “Hardecker was his name. Okay. Great. I was just trying to find out the date he died.”

“This is police chief Phil Jones. July 13th. Can you check the records for a Robert Campbell?” Sam asked. “July 19th, 2001. Dead on arrival. What I’m after is cause of death. Heart condition? Wasn’t he a cardiac surgeon? Wouldn’t he have known about that?”

“I’m looking for information on… Mrs. Wallace’s death. Two deaths. Who was the other? Ed Campbell. Any survivors? No, that’s all I needed. Thank you very much.” Sam said. He flopped down on the bed, head in his hands, and Angela next to him.

“Oh, my god.” He muttered.

~/~\~

Later, in another room, about halfway through Sam’s first statement it was revealed that he and Angela were speaking to Ruby.

“They’re dead,” Sam said. “All of them. All of my mom’s friends, who are somehow connected to Angela’s mom. Her doctor, her uncle, everyone who ever knew her, systematically wiped off the map one at a time. Someone went through a hell of a lot of trouble trying to cover their tracks.”

“The yellow-eyed demon.” Ruby sighed.

“So, what’s your deal?” Angela asked. “You show up wherever we are. You know all about us. You know all about our moms.”

“I already told you. I’m—

“Oh, right, right.” Sam nodded. “Yeah. Just a hunter. Just some hunter who happens to know more about our own families than we do. Just tell us who you are.”

“Sam, Angela, it—

“Just… tell us who you are,” Angela whispered.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Just tell us who you are!” Sam shouted.

“Fine.” Ruby sighed. She blinked her eyes once and they went demon-black; she blinked again and they became normal.

Sam and Angela back up, both fumbling in their bags.

“Think twice before going for that holy water.”

Sam and Angela both pulled out flasks, holding them out. “Give us one reason why we should,” 

“I’m here to help you two.”

“Is this some kind of joke?” Angela asked.

“God’s honest truth… or whatever.”

“You’re a demon.” Angela glared slightly.

“Don’t be such a racist. I’m here because I want to help you two. And I can if you two trust me.”

“Trust you?” Sam asked.

“Sam, Angela, calm down.”

“Start talking,” Angela demanded. “All those murders… what was the demon trying to cover up?”

“I don’t know.”

“What happened to our mothers?” Sam asked.

“I honestly don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to figure out. All I know is that it’s about you two.”

“What?” Angela frowned.

“Don’t you get it, guys?” Ruby asked. “It’s all about you two. What happened to your moms, what happened to their friends. They’re trying to cover up what he did to you. And I want to help you figure it out.”

“Why would you want to help us?” Angela asked suspiciously. She didn’t trust her one bit…

“I have my reasons. Not all demons are the same. Not all of us want the same thing. Me? I want to help you two from time to time. That’s all. And if you let me, there’s something in it for you two.”

“What could you possibly—

“I could help you save Dean,” Ruby replied.


	5. Bad Day at Black Rock Part 1

“Because demon, that’s why, I mean the second you find out this Ruby chick is a demon you go for the holy water, you don’t chat!” Dean yelled as he drove.

“No one was chatting, Dean.” Sam sighed.

“Look, I never said I trusted her Dean, because I don’t,” Angela told him. “I guess shock took over, I was, I was stunned.” 

Dean glanced at her and sighed. “Oh yeah? Then why didn’t you guys send her ass back to Hell?”

“Because, because she said she might be able to help us out.” Sam shrugged and looked at Angela. “You heard her.”

Angela sighed. “Look, Sam, I just, I can’t trust her. I’m sorry.”

Dean looked at Sam and raised a brow. “How?”

Sam paused for a moment, not really wanting to tell Dean.

“No, really, Sam, how? How could she possibly help us?” Dean asked.

“She told Angela and me that she could help you, ok?”

Dean looked incredulous and Angela sighed.

“Help you out of the crossroad deal,” Sam muttered.

“What is wrong with you, huh?” Dean asked. “She’s lying, Angela knows it, you gotta know that, don’t you? She knows what your weaknesses are, it’s me and Angela. What else did she say?”

Sam was silent.

Dean looked at Angela. “What else did she say, hmm?” 

Before Angela could speak Sam cut in. “Nothing.” He replied. He paused. “Nothing, okay?! Look, I’m not an idiot guys, I’m not talking about trusting her, I’m talking about using her.” He said. “I mean we’re at war, right? And we don’t know jack about the enemy; we don’t know where they are, we don’t know what they’re doing. I mean, hell, we don’t know what they want. Now, this Ruby girl knows more than we will ever find out on our own. Now yes, it’s a risk, I know that, but we need to take it.”

“You’re ok right, I mean you’re feeling ok?” Dean asked.

“Yes I’m fine, ask Angie.” Sam sighed. “Why are you always asking me that?”

Suddenly, a phone started ringing.

Sam reached for his own. “It’s not mine.”

Angela reached for hers. “Not mine either.”

Dean went for his. “Nope.” He said. He paused. “Check the glove compartment, it’s Dad’s.”

“Dad’s?” Sam asked.

“Yes, I keep it charged up in case any of his old contacts call.”

Sam opened the glove compartment, found John’s phone, and answered it.

“Hello? Yes… this is Edgar Cayce…” Sam replied. “No, no, no, no, don’t, don’t call the police, I’ll handle this myself. Thanks. You know, can you just uh, can you just lock it back up for me? Great. Uhm, I, I uh, I don’t have me, my book in front of me,” he gestured to Dean for a pen. “do you, do you have the address so I can… sure, ok. Go ahead. Right, thanks a lot.” Sam ended the call. He looked at Dean. “Dad ever tell you he kept a container at a storage place?”

“What?” Dean asked.

“Outside of Buffalo?” Sam asked.

“No way,” Dean muttered.

“Yeah. And someone just broke into it.”

~/~\~

“Man…” Dean muttered.

“What?” Angela asked.

“Just our Dad.” He replied. “Him and his secrets. Spend all this time with the guy and it’s like Sam and I barely even know the man.”

“Well, we’re about to learn something,” Sam noted.

Sam, Dean, and Angela exited the elevator and found the storage container. Dean unlocked the padlock and opened the sliding door, all three with flashlights at the ready. On the dusty floor of the container was a symbol drawn in red, along with several bloody footprints.

~/~\~

“No demons allowed,” Sam muttered.

“Blood. Check this out.” Dean held up a tripwire which was attached to a shotgun hidden in a large animal skull.

“Whoever broke in here got tagged,” Angela said.

“Dear old Dad,” Dean mumbled. “I got two sets of boot treads here, looks like it was a two-man job. And our friend with the buckshot in him looks like he kept walking.”

“So what’s the deal? Dad would do work here or something?” Sam asked.

“Living the high life, as usual,” Dean replied.

Sam, Dean, and Angela ventured further inside. Dean aimed his flashlight on the skull and shook his head. Sam and Angela looked over a desk while Dean picked up a trophy from a shelf, scraping the dust off.

“1995,” Dean muttered.

“No way! That’s my Division Championship soccer trophy. I can’t believe he kept this.” Sam smiled.

Angela smiled softly. “Never knew you played soccer when you were younger.”

“Yeah.” Sam murmured, smiling back at her.

“Yeah… about the closest you ever came to being a boy,” Dean said to Sam. “Oh, wow! It’s my first sawed-off. I made it myself. 6th grade.”

Dean laughed and pumped the shotgun.

Sam and Angela moved further into the container and opened a door to a back room. The chain on the door had been cut. The three entered and passed their flashlights over the scene.

“Holy crap,” Dean said. “Look at this, he had land mines… which they didn’t take. Or the guns. I guess they knew what they were after, huh?”

Angela spotted boxes inscribed with symbols on a far shelf.

“Hey guys, check this out.” She said. “See these symbols? That’s binding magic. These are curse boxes.”

“Curse boxes?” Dean asked. “They’re supposed to keep the evil mojo in right, kinda like the Pandora deal?”

“Yeah, yeah, they’re built to contain the power of the cursed object.” She nodded.

“Well Dad’s journal didn’t mention a whole bunch of stuff, you know?” Dean asked. “Dangerous hexed items, fetishes, he never did say where they ended up.”

“No, then this must be his toxic waste dump,” Sam said. “One box missing… great.”

“Well, maybe they didn’t open it,” Dean replied.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela pulled up in the alley beside the apartment block, next to another car. Dean leaned out and checked the car’s plates.

“Connecticut,” Dean said. “Last three digits 880.”

“Yep, that’s it,” Angela replied.

“Should’ve blacked out their plates before they parked in front of the security camera…” Dean said.

~/~\~

Wayne and Grossman were playing poker.

“Four Kings,” Wayne said.

Grossman groaned. “Unbelievable.”

“You see that?” Wayne laughed.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

“Deal ‘em up again.”

Sam, Dean, and Angela broke into the apartment, armed, and snuck inside.

“Royal Flush,” Wayne said. “Grossman, that’s the second Royal Flush in eight hands.”

“Yeah, this is a lot of fun.”

“I can’t lose,” Wayne said. “I mean really, I-I can’t lose!” he exclaimed. He grabbed the rabbit’s foot. “Maybe this thing really works? You know what I’m saying? I’ll tell you something there’s no way in hell we are handing it over to that stuck-up bitch now, not after all we’ve been through. Uh uh. Let’s get out of here, let’s go have some fun.”

“Freeze, freeze!” Dean yelled. “Nobody move!”

“Don’t move!” Angela and Sam yelled.

“Don't move!” Dean shouted.

“What is this?” Wayne asked.

“Stop!” Sam yelled.

“All right, give us the box,” Dean commanded. “And please tell me that you didn’t-

“Oh, they did,” Angela groaned.

“You opened it?!” Dean asked.

Dean shoved Wayne against the wall.

“Are you guys cops?” Wayne asked.

“Huh?” Dean asked.

“Are you guys cops?!”

“What was in the box?” Dean asked, ignoring his question.

Wayne glanced over at the coffee table where the rabbit’s foot sat. Dean followed his gaze.

“Oh, was that it, huh?” Dean asked. “It was wasn’t it? What is that thing?”

Wayne used Dean’s distraction to knock the gun from Dean’s hand. It fell to the floor, causing it to fire. The bullet ricochets off a radiator and hit Sam’s fun, causing him to drop it. The same bullet ricochets again and hit Angela’s gun, and she dropped it. Sam, Angela, and Grossman went for the guns. Grossman pushed Sam, who fell onto Angela, who fell onto Dean. Dean fell back on the coffee table, launching the rabbit’s foot into the air.

“Sorry!” Sam said to Angela and Dean.

Grossman threw himself at Sam, sending them both to the floor, and then started punching Sam in the face. Angela ran over to try and pull Grossman off of Sam, but Grossman just shoved her back into the wall, hard. Wayne went for Dean’s gun. As he picked it up and aimed for Sam, he hit Dean, who had just got up, square under the chin, knocking him down again. He fired again and managed to get Angela in the arm after she got up. She clutched her arm tightly and clenched her jaw. Grossman was now trying to strangle Sam. Sam desperately tried to reach for the rabbit’s foot, which was almost out of reach. Sam just managed to grab it, then knocked Grossman’s hands away from his throat and kicked him back into a corner. Sam got up.

“Dean! Angie! I got it!” Sam exclaimed.

Wayne moved forward and cocked Dean’s gun in Sam’s face. “No, you don’t.”

Grossman got his hands on Sam’s gun while Wayne pulled the trigger on Sam. The gun jammed. Wayne panicked and tried to clear the chamber, while Dean got up and tried to stop him. Wayne was surprised and stumbled back, tripping over a rug and falling back over the couch. He knocked himself out. Dean, Sam, and Angela looked at each other, confused. Grossman got up and tried to point the gun at Sam.

“Sam!” Dean yelled.

“Sam!” Angela shouted, still clutching her arm.

As Grossman moved, the bookshelves above him collapsed, knocking him out cold. Sam’s gun flew out of his hand and Sam caught it. Dean and Angela looked astounded.

“That was a lucky break! Is that a rabbit’s foot?!” Dean said.

Angela eyed it. “Holy crap, it is.”

Sam held it up. “I think it is.” 

“Huh,” Dean said.

“C’mon, let’s get you patched up,” Sam told Angela.

She nodded. “Alright, yeah.” 

~/~\~

Dean walked over to the Impala with a paper bag in his hands. He got in. Sam and Angela were inside. Dean took something out of the bag.

“I’m not finding anything on it in Dad’s journal,” Sam shook his head.

Dean held up several scratch cards in front of Sam.

“Dean, come on,” Angela said. “This is serious.”

“What?!” Dean defended. “Hey, that was my gun he was aiming at Sam’s head, and my gun don’t jam so that was a lucky break. Not to mention them taking themselves out, also a lucky break. Here, scratch one. C’mon Sam, scratch, and win!”

Dean handed over a coin and a card. Sam scratched it.

“Dean it’s gotta be cursed somehow, otherwise Dad wouldn’t have locked it up,” Sam said.

Sam handed the card back.

“$1200… you just won $1200,” Dean replied. He laughed and hollered. “I don’t know guys doesn’t seem that cursed to me!”

Dean handed Sam another card and Angela just shook her head.

~/~\~

Dean laid out 6 scratch cards on the hood of the Impala, calculating their winnings.

“Oh, man!” Dean laughed.

Sam was on the phone with Bobby and had it on speaker.

“Now look Bobby, we didn’t know,” Angela reasoned.

 _“He touched it? You touched it? Dammit, Sam!”_ Bobby replied.

“Well, Dad never told us about this thing.” Sam defended. “I mean you knew about his storage place at Black Rock?”

 _“His lockup?”_ Bobby asked. _“Yeah, I knew. Hell, I built those curse boxes for him. Listen, you have got a serious problem.”_

Sam noticed something shining under a newspaper on the ground. It was a gold watch. He waved Angela over and she went wide-eyed.

 _“That rabbit’s foot ain’t no dime store notion,”_ Bobby added.

Sam picked up the watch, turned, and showed it to Dean. Dean mouthed ‘awesome!’

 _“It’s real hoodoo, old-world stuff,”_ Bobby said. _“Made by a Baton Rouge conjuror woman about a hundred years ago.”_

“It’s a hell of a luck charm.” Angela and Sam replied.

 _“It’s not a luck charm, she made it to kill people, guys!”_ Bobby exclaimed. _“See, you touch it, you own it,”_ Bobby added. _“You own it, sure, you get a run of good luck to beat the Devil. But, you lose it, that luck turns. It turns so bad that you’re dead inside a week.”_

“Well, so I won’t lose it, Bobby.” Sam shrugged.

“I’ll make sure of it,” Angela said, smiling up at Sam.

 _“Everbody loses it!”_ Bobby shouted,

“Well, then how do we break the curse?” Angela asked.

Bobby sighed. _“I don’t know if you can.”_ He replied. _“Just… just don’t touch it, Angie.”_

“Alright, Bobby, I won’t touch it.” She assured him.

Sam placed the rabbit’s foot in his jacket pocket.

 _“Lemme look through my library and make some calls,”_ Bobby said. _“Just sit tight.”_

“Guys! We’re up fifteen grand!” Dean grinned.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela entered the restaurant.

“Don’t worry, Bobby’ll find a way to break it.” Dean shrugged. “Until then I say we hit Vegas, pull a little Rain Man. You can be Rain Man.”

“Look, we just lay low until Bobby calls back, ok?” Angela replied. “Hu, uh, table for two please.” She said to the restaurant owner.

“Congratulations!” the owner grinned.

“It’s exciting, I know,” Dean replied sarcastically.

“You are the one-millionth guest of the Biggerson’s Restaurant family!”

Stagg started singing and taking photographs. Balloons and streamers fell from the ceiling. Sam and Angela looked embarrassed while Dean looked ecstatic.

~/~\~

Sam was on his laptop, Angela next to him looking at the screen. Dean was eating a bowl of ice cream.

“Bobby’s right,” Angela said. “It’s lore goes way back. Pure hoodoo. You can’t just cut one off any rabbit. Has to be in a cemetery, under a full moon, on a Friday the thirteenth.”

“I say from now on, we only go to places with Biggerson’s,” Dean suggested.

Dean was struck with a brain freeze from the ice cream. Sam and Angela laughed as a waitress approached their table with more coffee.

“Can I freshen you up?” She asked Sam.

“Yeah, yeah sure. Thanks.”

The waitress poured Sam more coffee but spilled some.

“Oh!” she exclaimed.

“Oh! Oh, I uh-

“Let me mop up here.”

“No, no don’t worry it’s ok, it’s ok, I got it, uh…”

“It’s no trouble, really.” She smiled.

“Ok.” He nodded.

“Sorry about that.”

“It’s all right.”

The waitress appeared to be flirting with Sam. Sam gave Dean a look and Angela was still looking at the article, distracting herself. The waitress finished cleaning up and walked away, looking over her shoulder as she went and smiled. Sam and Dean both leaned in and watched her. Angela glanced at them and then the waitress. She sighed, rolling her eyes.

Dean glanced at Angela and then looked at Sam. “Dude. If you were ever gonna get lucky…”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Shut up.”

Sam went to pick up his coffee, knocked the cup over, and managed to spill it all over the table and himself. Sam jumped out of his seat.

“Oh! Oh Geeze, uh…” Sam said.

Sam turned and a waiter with a full tray crashes straight into him, sending things flying and causing a scene. Dean looked shocked and Angela frowned.

“Sorry!” Sam told the waiter.

Sam turned back to Dean and Angela.

“How was that good?” Dean asked.

Sam searched his jacket and came up empty. The rabbit’s foot was gone.

“Son of a bitch.” Dean breathed.

~/~\~

The three rushed out of the restaurant, Angela in front of Sam, and suddenly felt him grip the back of her jacket. She quickly turned around and then suddenly she was on the ground with an ‘oof’, Sam on top of her.

“Ow…” Sam muttered. “Sorry, Angie…” Sam smiled sheepishly.

She blushed profusely and let out a strained laugh. “It’s fine, Sam. But uh. Can you get off me?”

Dean turned around and snorted when he saw them. “Hey you two, now is not the time for that.” 

Sam looked down at Angela, ignoring Dean. “Hm?” he asked. “Oh! Oh, yeah, of course, sorry.” He mumbled. He stood up, and then pulled Angela to her feet.

“Thanks.” She smiled slightly.

“So what, now your luck turns bad?” Dean asked.

Sam’s jeans were torn at both knees, which were bloody and raw.

“I guess.” He mumbled.

“I wonder how bad?” Angela muttered.

~/~\~

Grossman was holding a photograph of himself and Wayne. Grossman held up a bottle of tequila and sadly toasted the memory of Wayne.

“Adios, compadre.” He muttered.

Grossman poured a lug of tequila on the floor, then took a large swig. The door to the apartment opened and Sam, Dean, and Angela walked in. Sam hung back, Angela next to him.

“Oh, man. What do you want?” Grossman groaned.

“Heard about your friend, that’s bad luck,” Dean said.

“Piss off.”

“We know someone hired you to steal the rabbit’s foot.” Angela piped up. “A woman.”

“Oh yeah? How do you know that?”

“Because she just stole it back from us,” Dean replied.

Grossman laughed.

“Listen, man, this is serious..." Sam started. He stepped forward and tripped on a wire on the floor mid-sentence, pulling a CD player off a shelf and sending it and Sam crashing to the ground. As he fell he tried grabbing for Angela’s hand to steady himself, but instead pulled her with him. Sam took out a lamp as they went. Dean just rolled his eyes.

“Sam, Angie, you ok?” he asked.

Angela groaned and stood up. “I’m fine.”

“Yeah, I’m good!” Sam called from the floor behind the couch. “Sorry, Angie…again.” 

“It’s fine, no big deal.” She replied. “I’ll live.” 

Angela pulled Sam up and Grossman smirked.

“I want you to tell us her name,” Dean said to Grossman.

“Screw you.”

“It wasn’t a freak accident that killed your partner,” Angela said.

“What?” Grossman asked.

“It was the rabbit’s foot,” Dean added.

“You’re crazy, man,” Grossman replied, incredulous.

“You know we’re not,” Dean replied. “You saw what happened, what it did. All the flukes, all the luck. You lose the foot that luck goes sour. That’s what killed your friend. And my brother here is next. And who knows how many more innocent people after that. Now if you don’t help us stop this thing that puts those deaths on your head.”

Grossman looked worried.

“Now I can read people, and I get it.” Dean nodded. “You’re a thief, and a scumbag, that’s fine. But you’re not a killer. Are you?”

“No,” Grossman whispered.


	6. Bad Day at Black Rock Part 2

Sam, Dean, and Angela exited the apartment block and Dean’s phone started ringing. As Dean answered and put the phone on speaker, he and Angela stepped over a large piece of pink bubblegum on the ground.

“Hello?” Dean asked.

Sam followed and stepped straight into the bubblegum.

 _“Dean, Angie, great news,”_ Bobby said. _“Wasn’t easy but I found a heavyweight cleansing ritual that should do the trick.”_

“Bobby that’s, uh, great, ‘cept Sam, uh…” Angela started. She looked over at Sam and grimaced when Sam lifted his shoe. “Sam lost the foot.”

 _“He what?!”_ Bobby shouted.

“Bobby, Bobby, listen, this, uh, this hot chick stole it from him,” Dean replied. “I’m serious. In her mid-20’s, and she was sharp you know, good enough at the con to play us.”

Sam was trying to scrape the bubblegum off his shoe using a broken storm drain grating.

“And she only gave the guy she hired a name, probably an alias or something,” Angela added. “Uh, Luigi or something?” she asked Sam.

Sam was still scraping his shoe off. “Lugosi.”

“Lugosi,” Dean said.

 _“Lugosi?”_ Bobby asked. _“Lugos- Aw crap, it’s probably Bela.”_

Sam moved his foot too hard, dislodging his shoe. It dropped into the drain. He tried to retrieve it.

“Bela Lugosi?” Dean asked. “That’s cute.”

 _“Bela Talbot’s her real name,”_ Bobby replied. _“Crossed paths with her once or twice.”_

“Well she knew about the rabbit’s foot, is she a hunter?” Angela asked.

 _“Pretty friggin’ far from a hunter, but she knows her way around the territory,”_ Bobby replied. _“She’s been out of the country. Last I heard she was in the Middle East someplace.”_

“I guess she’s back,” Dean said.

 _“Which means seriously bad luck for you,”_ Bobby replied.

“Great.” Dean sighed.

 _“But, if it is Bela…At least I might know some folks who know how to find her.”_ Bobby continued.

“Thanks, Bobby. Again.” Angela replied.

 _“Just look out for Sam, ya idjits,”_ Bobby replied before ending the call.

Dean and Angela looked back at Sam. Sam looked thoroughly dejected.

“What?” Angela asked.

“I lost my shoe.” He mumbled.

They looked down at Sam’s sock-clad foot. Dean sighed, annoyed, and Angela smiled sympathetically. Sam hung his head.

~/~\~

The Impala pulled into the lot and stopped just inside the entrance.

“All right Bobby, thanks. We owe ya, another one.” Dean said on the phone. “All right Bobby’s got it on pretty good authority that this Bela chick lives in Queens. So it’ll take me about two hours to get there.” Dean told Sam and Angela.

“So what are we doing here?” Sam asked.

“You, my brother are staying here ‘cause I don’t want your bad luck getting us killed,” Dean replied. “And Angie’s gonna keep you company.”

Dean drove the Impala into the main lot, passing Kubrick’s RV on the way.

~/~\~

Dean unlocked the door and lead Sam and Angela inside, turning a light on as he went.

“What are we even supposed to do, Dean?” Sam asked.

“Nothing, nothing.” He replied. “Come here. I don’t want you doing anything. I want you to sit right here, and don’t move. And Angie’s gonna make sure that nothing happens, ok? Don’t turn on the light, don’t turn off the light. Don’t even scratch your nose.”

Sam sat in a chair and Angela sat on one of the beds. They watched Dean leave, locking the door behind him. Sam wrinkled his nose a few times before risking a scratch when Angela wasn’t looking.

~/~\~

Bela’s apartment was richly decorated and contained varied valuable artifacts. Bela was on the phone. She walked downstairs and into the kitchen. She talked with an affected British accent.

“Because you shook on one point five. Well maybe I should just take it somewhere else?” she said.

Bela petted a Seal Point Siamese cat that was sitting on the counter.

“Don’t threaten me, Luke. Despite your reputation, you don’t scare me.” She added. She paused. “Well, I’m glad you see it that way. I’ll see you at the airstrip in an hour.”

Bela ended the call. Bela’s security monitors registered Dean approaching. Bela picked up the rabbit’s foot with kitchen tongs and the Siamese cat hissed. Bela moved to look over at the security monitors, just missing Dean’s arrival. Bela put the rabbit’s foot down, opened the wine cooler and extracted a gun from it before moving through the living room toward the front door. The door was ajar. As she approached, she noticed a beeping noise. The alarm system panel was flashing ERROR. A bright yellow Post-it stuck to the panel read TURN AROUND. Dean appeared behind Bela, his gun was drawn. Bela turned around and drew her gun.

“You left without your tip,” Dean said.

Bela smirked. Dean raised his eyebrows.

~/~\~

“Angie I’m bored,” Sam mumbled as he rocked back and forth on the chair.

She looked up from the book she was reading and smiled sympathetically. “I know, but don’t worry, all right? This’ll all be fixed.” 

Suddenly, the AC unit in the wall in front of Sam started making a clunking, grinding sound. Smoke started to pour out.

“Oh come on, I, I didn’t, I wasn’t…” he said despairingly. 

Sam got up and cautiously approached the unit. Angela looked up wide-eyed.

“Sam!” she exclaimed. She stood up and followed after him. “Sit down!”

“But, Angie, the AC…” he said.

“I’ll get it fixed, just don’t touch anyth—

The unit caught on fire. Sam and Angela grabbed the comforter off one of the beds and attempted to put out the fire with it. When they think they’ve got it, they got up, only to find that Sam’s jacket sleeve was now on fire. They both panicked and they used the curtain to put it out. The curtain ripped and fell away, revealing Kubrick and Creedy staring through the window. Sam fell back, taking Angela with him, knocking them both out on the floor. Kubrick smiled and looked to the sky in thanks.

~/~\~

Dean and Bela were engaged in a stand-off.

“You’re gonna give it back,” Dean said.

Bela laughed. “Sweetie, no I’m not.”

“Yeah, we’ll see. Bela, right?”

“That’s right, Dean.”

“You know the thing’s cursed, don’t you?” he raised a brow.

“You’d be surprised what some people would pay for a thing like that.”

“Really?”

“There’s a lucrative market out there.” She replied. “A lot of money to be made. You hunters with all those amulets and talismans you use to stop those big bad monsters.” She added. “Any one of them could put your children’s children through college.”

“So you know the truth, about what’s really going on out there and this is what you decide to do with it? You become a thief?” Dean asked.

“I procure unique items for a select clientele.” She shrugged.

“Yeah. A thief.”

“No, a great thief.” She corrected.

~/~\~

Creedy was restraining Sam and Angela to two chairs with duct tape. Sam and Angela came to.

“Oh, they’re awake!” Creedy exclaimed.

“Back with us, eh?” Kubrick smirked.

“We didn’t even have to touch you two,” Creedy smirked. “You just went all spastic, and knocked yourself out, taking your girlfriend with you? It was like watching Jerry Lewis stack chairs!”

“Who are you, what do you wa—

Kubrick snapped his fingers in Angela’s face. Angela looked confused.

“I used to think your friend Gordon sent me,” Kubrick said.

“Gordon?” Sam asked. “Oh come on!”

“Yeah, he sent me to track you two down, and put a bullet in your brains.”

“Great. That sounds like him.” Angela muttered.

“But, as it turns out, I’m on a mission from God.”

Kubrick struck both Sam and Angela across the face.

~/~\~

“Look Bela, my brother, he touched the foot,” Dean said. “And when you took it from him, his luck went from—

“I know how it works.” She replied.

“So then you know he’s gonna die unless we destroy it.”

“Oh… you can have the foot.” She said insincerely.

Dean looked surprised.

“For one point five million.” She smirked.

“Nice.” He nodded. “Yeah, I’ll just call my banker. How’d you even find the damn thing? Stuck in the back of some storage place, middle of nowhere.”

Bela looked over her shoulder. Dean followed her gaze to a Ouija Board and planchette on the mantle.

“I just asked a few of the ghosts of the people that it killed.” She shrugged. “They were very attuned into its location.”

“So you’re only out for yourself, huh? It’s all about number one?” Dean asked.

“Being a hunter is so much more noble?” she retorted. “A bunch of obsessed, revenge-driven sociopaths trying to save a world that can’t be saved?”

“Well aren’t you a glass-half-full?”

“We’re all going to hell, Dean. Might as well enjoy the ride.”

“I actually agree with you there.” He replied. “Anyhoo, this has been charming but uh, look at the time. Oh and this?”

Dean revealed the rabbit’s foot in his hand. Bela looked pissed.

“Looks like you’re not the only one with sticky fingers.” He smirked. “If it’s any consolation I think you’re a truly awful person.”

Bela fired at Dean and missed completely. She fired again, the bullet ricocheting around breaking several objects and hitting the Ouija Board. Dean laughed and held out the rabbit’s foot to taunt Bela and made a run for the door. Bela fired again at Dean’s retreating form, the bullet again ricocheting around and destroying more objects. The Siamese cat ran off and Bela ducked. Dean escaped.

“Seeya!” Dean called.

Bela sighed.

~/~\~

Creedy threw a glass of water in Sam’s and Angela’s faces. Sam’s cheek was bruised and his nose was bloody. Angela’s face was bruised and her lip was busted. They shook the water off while Kubrick watched, sitting on one of the motel beds.

“You were part of that demon plan to open the gate weren’t you?” he asked them.

“We did everything we could to stop it,” Sam replied.

“Lie, lie, lie! You two were in on it!” Kubrick exclaimed. He walked over to Angela. “You know what their next move is too, don’t you?”

“No, we don’t, ok? You’re wrong about all of this.” Angela replied.

“Where are they gonna hit us next?” he asked her.

Angela sighed and stayed silent. Kubrick struck Angela across the face again.

“Angie!” Sam exclaimed.

“Where!” Kubrick yelled. “Gordon told me about you two, Angie. About your powers. You two are some kinda weirdo psychic freaks?”

“No, not anymore we, no powers, no visions, nothing, it just—Sam started.

“Liar!” Kubrick yelled. He walked over and punched Sam hard.

“Sam!” Angela yelled, trying to wriggle out of the duct tape. She turned her head to look at Kubrick. “I swear to God, I’m gonna kill you, you son of a bitch.” She growled.

He ignored her. “Now no more lies.” He told the two. “There’s an army of demons out there pushing at a world already on the brink. We’re on deck for the endgame here, right? So maybe, just maybe you two can understand why we can’t take chances.”

He drew his gun and pointed it at Sam.

“Whoa, ok, ok, no don’t, hold on a minute!” Sam exclaimed.

“Hey, Kubrick just—

“No, you saw what happened Creedy, ask yourself, why are we here? Because you saw a picture on the web? Because we chose this motel instead of another? Luck like that doesn’t just happen.”

“Look, we can explain all of that if—

“Shut up!” he barked at her. “Creedy. He led us here for one reason. To do his work. This is destiny.”

“Whoa…” Sam said.

Kubrick aimed the gun point-blank at Sam’s forehead. Sam squeezed his eyes shut. The sound of another gun being cocked was heard in the room.

“Nope. No destiny, just a rabbit’s foot.” Dean said.

“Put the gun down son, or you’re gonna be scraping brain off the wall,” Kubrick said.

“What, this thing?” Dean asked.

“Yeah, that thing.”

“Ok. But you see there’s something about me that you don’t know.” Dean said, putting his gun down, looking smug, and picked up a pen sitting next to it.

“Yeah? What would that be?”

“It’s my lucky day.” He replied. Dean tossed the pen towards Kubrick. It lodged itself in the barrel of Kubrick’s gun. Sam and Angela looked impressed. “Oh my God, did you see that shot?!” Dean laughed.

Creedy lunged at Dean and aimed a punch. Dean easily side-stepped and Creedy ran straight into the wall, falling backward and hitting the floor. Kubrick stared at the pen in the barrel for a few moments before trying to dislodge it.

“I’m amazing,” Dean said. Dean picked up the TV remote from the table and threw it hard at Kubrick, who was just about to aim for Dean. It hit Kubrick right between the eyed, knocking him out cold. He dropped like a stone. “I’m Batman,” Dean said suavely.

“Yeah. You’re Batman.” Sam and Angela said sarcastically.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were crouching, and sprinkling something onto the embers of a small fire. Dean was checking over more scratch cards.

“All right. Bone ash, cayenne pepper, that should do it.” Angela said.

“One second…” Dena mumbled.

“Dean, you—

“Hey, back off, Jinx. I’m bringing home the bacon.”

Sam and Angela sighed. Dean smirked and stashed the cards in his jacket, which was slung over a gravestone.

“All right, say goodbye ‘wascally wabbit’,” Dean muttered.

The sound of a gun was heard cocking. Dean turned around.

“I think you’ll find that belongs to me,” Bela said. “Or, you know, whatever. Put the foot down, honey.”

“No,” Dean said. “You’re not going to shoot anybody. See I happen to be able to read people. Ok, you’re a thief, fine, but you’re not—

Bela ignored Dean, aimed at Sam, and fired. Sam went down, groaning.

“Sam!” Angela yelled. She ran over and held him. She glared at Bela. “What the hell?!” she shouted.

“Son of a—

“Back off, tiger,” Bela smirked at Dean. “You make one more move and I’ll pull the trigger.”

Sam looked at Angela and gently shrugged her off. She stood up, as did he, clutching his shoulder.

“You’ve got the luck, Dean,” Bela said. “You, I can’t hit. But your brother? Him I can’t miss.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Dean yelled. “You don’t just go around shooting people like that!”

“Relax.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s a shoulder hit, I can aim. Besides, who here hasn’t shot a few people. Put the rabbit’s foot on the ground now.”

“All right!” Dean replied. “All right. Take it easy.” He said. Dean went to drop the rabbit’s foot but instead threw it at Bela. “Think fast.”

Bela caught the foot and cursed. “Damn!”

“Now, what do you say we destroy that ugly-ass piece of dead thing?” Dean smirked.

Bela dropped the foot in the embers. “Thanks very much. I’m out one and a half million, and on the bad side of a very powerful, fairly psychotic buyer.”

“Wow,” Dean replied. “I really don’t feel bad about that. Sam? Angie?”

“Nope.” Sam shrugged.

“Not even a little,” Angie added.

“Hmm. Maybe next time I’ll hang you out to dry.” Bela said.

Bela went and leaned on the gravestone where Dean’s jacket was.

“Oh don’t go away angry, just go away,” Dean said.

“Have a nice night, boys, Angela,” Bela said. Bela walked away. The rabbit’s foot burned in the fire.

“You good?” Dean asked.

Angela looked up at Sam, taking his free hand in hers.

He smiled softly at her and looked at Dean. “I’ll live.”

“I guess we’re back to normal now, huh?” Dean asked. “No good luck, no bad luck. Oh! I forgot we’re up $46000, I almost forgot about the… scratch tickets.”

Dean searched his jacket and came up empty. Bela’s car roared in the distance. The three looked at each other, then watched her drive away.

“Son of a bitch!” Dean yelled.


	7. Sin City Part 1

Bobby was working on the Colt, while Dean melted metal into bullets.

“Hey, what’s up?” Dean asked.

“Might have found some omens in Ohio,” Angela answered. “Dry lightning, barometric-pressure drop.”

“Well, that’s thrilling,” Dean said.

“Plus, some guy blows his head off in a church and another goes postal in a hobby shop before the cops take him out,” Sam said. “Might be demonic omens.” 

“Or just a suicide and a psycho scrapbooker,” Dean replied.

“But it’s our best lead since Lincoln,” Angela argued.

“Where in Ohio?” Dean asked.

“Elizabethville,” Sam replied. “It’s a half-dead factory town in the rust belt.”

“There’s got to be a demon or two in South Beach,” Dean muttered.

“Sorry, Hef.” Angela shrugged. “Maybe next time. How’s it going, Bobby?”

“Slow.” Bobby sighed.

“I tell you, it’s a little sad seeing the Colt like that,” Dean commented.

“The only thing it’s good for now is figuring out what makes it tick,” Bobby replied.

“So what makes it tick?” Sam asked.

Bobby looked up, not amused.

“So, if we want to go check out these omens in Ohio…” Dean started. “You think you can have that thing ready by this afternoon?” Dean asked teasingly.

“Well, it won’t kill demons by then, but I can promise you it’ll kill you,” Bobby replied.

Dean smiled. “All right, come on, we’re wasting the daylight.”

“See you, Bobby,” Angela waved.

The three started to leave.

“Hey,” Bobby said. “You three run into anything, anything, you call me.”

~/~\~

In the church, Sam and Dean were in suits, and Angela was wearing a white blouse, a black blazer, a matching skirt, and heels. Her hair was in a tight bun.

“There’s not much left for the insurance company.” Father Gil said. “It was a suicide, I saw it myself.”

“Well, this shouldn’t take long, then,” Dean replied.

“That’s where Andy did it.” Father Gil said. “It’s the first time I’d seen him in weeks. He used to come every Sunday.”

“When did he stop?” Angela asked.

“Probably about two months ago right around the time everything else started to change.” Father Gil answered.

“Change how?” Sam asked.

“Let’s just say this used to be a town you could be proud of. People… cared about each other.” Father Gil said. “Andy sang in the choir, and then one day, he just wasn’t Andy anymore. It was like he was…”

“Possessed?” Angela asked.

“You could say that.” He nodded. “Gambled away his money, cheated on his wife, destroyed his business. Yes, like a switch had flipped.”

“Father, did you know the man who killed those folks in the hobby shop?” Sam asked.

“Sure, Tony Perkins.” Father Gil nodded. “Tony Perkins. Good man.”

“Would you say that his personality suddenly changed one day, too?” Angela asked.

“I never thought about it that way, but… yes. About the same time as Andy, about two months ago.”

“Well, thank you, Father. Appreciate your time.” Dean smiled.

“Two months ago, we open up the devil’s gate, all of a sudden this town turns into Margaritaville?” Sam asked as they left. “It’s no coincidence.”

Angela nodded in agreement. “Got that right.” She muttered.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela were entering their room, Dean chuckling at the mirrors on the ceiling when the door across the hall opened.

“Richie,” Dean greeted with a smile. “I don’t believe it.”

“Hey, Dean… Winchester, right?” Richie asked. A tall scantily dressed girl appeared from Richie’s room. “This is my sister, uh, Cheryl.”

“Hey,” Cheryl said.

“Cheryl,” Dean replied.

Richie handed Cheryl some money. “There.” He said. “Well, you know… stepsister.” He added as she left.

“Come on in,” Dean said. “This is my brother, Sam, and our friend Angie.”

“Hey,” Richie said. “How you doing?” he asked them.

“Can’t complain.” Angela shrugged.

“Not too bad,” Sam replied. “How do you two know each other?”

“You were in school,” Dean replied.

“It was that succubus, in Granasi right?” Richie asked.

“Yeah, yeah.” Dean nodded.

“Oh, man,” Richie said. “You should have seen the rack on this broad. Freakin’ tragedy when I had to gank her.”

“Whoa, whoa,” Dean said. “Wait. Who killed her? If I remember, your ass was toast until I showed up.”

“Oh, I forgot what a comedian this guy was,” Richie smirked.

“Richie, Richie, I told you then and I’ll tell you again, you’re not cut out for this job. You’re gonna get yourself killed.”

Richie’s phone rang. “Talk to me.” He said to the caller. He looked at Dean. “FYI, Winchester, words hurt.” He said. “No, it’s not a good time, baby. Later.”

“You find anything in this town, anyway?” Dean asked.

“Uh, no. I got nothing.” Richie shrugged. “Oh, wait a minute. You mean as in demons and whatnot?”

“Yeah,” Dean replied.

“No, I got nothing.”

“Typical.” Dean sighed. “What about your sister back there?”

“Honestly, she definitely had the devil in her, but she wasn’t no demon, you know what I’m saying?” Richie smirked. “Right. Seriously.” He said off Dean’s reaction. “Church guy, hobby-shop guy, they were lunch meat by the time I got there. Maybe they were possessed, but I can’t prove it.”

“Yeah, that’s where we are, too,” Angela said. “Let’s just say the demons are possessing people in this town… you know, raising hell…”

“But why would a demon blow his brains out?” Dean asked.

“For fun?” Richie suggested. “He wrecks one body, moves to another. Like taking a stolen car for a joyride.”

“Anybody else left in town that fits the profile, nice guy turned douche, that’s still breaking?” Dean asked.

“There’s Trotter,” Richie said.

“Who’s that?” Sam asked.

“He used to be head of the Rotary Club,” Richie replied. “Then he turned bastard all of a sudden. Brought in the gambling, the hookers. He practically owns this whole town.”

“Know where we could find him?” Angela asked.

“Oh, he’ll be at his bar in a few hours,” Richie answered.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela pulled up in the Impala. The town was buzzing, it looked like Mardi Gras, people wandering around with cocktails, sexy girls, lots of action.

“I thought you said this was some boarded-up factory town,” Dean said.

“It is,” Angela said. “At least, it’s supposed to be.”

Dean smiled. “Well, what are we waiting for?” Dean asked. “Let’s do some research.”

Angela grabbed Sam’s hand and just rolled her eyes, smiling at Dean’s eagerness.

~/~\~

“Oh, Richie,” Dean said. “Look at you.”

“Hey,” Richie replied.

“Bringing satin back,” Dean commented.

“Oh, you liked this?” Richie asked. “Try Thai silk, Canal Street. You have to pay $300 for threads like these, easy. Cost to me, fuggedaboutit.”

“How much is ‘fuggedaboutit’?” Angela and Sam asked.

“Ah, forget about it.” Richie waved it off. “That’s Trotter over there. He sits there all night. Can’t touch him.”

“So, what do we do now?” Sam asked.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m gonna do a little investigating with that bartender,” Dean smirked.

“Easy,” Richie warned. “Me and her, we got a little somethin’-somethin’ lined up for later.”

“Yeah, right.” Dean rolled his eyes.

“Stings, don’t it?” Richie smirked. “All right. I got to hit the head. Release the hostages. Be back in a few.”

“No way he gets a girl like that. I mean look at her.” Dean said. “You could fit that ass on a nickel.”

“You think so?” Father Gil asked.

“Oh. Sorry, padre.” Dean grimaced.

“Knew you three would find your way here. They all do.”

“No offense, but what are you doing here, Father?” Angela asked.

“Like it or not, you go where your flock is.” He shrugged.

The bartender, Casey, poured him a drink. “Plus, the clergy drinks for free.”

“True, and a certain bartender owes me a confession.”

“Not in this lifetime, Father.” She smirked.

“I better see your butt on Sunday.” He raised his brows. “Nickel or no nickel.” He told Dean.

“What can I get you three?” Casey asked.

“What’s your specialty?” Dean asked.

“I make a mean hurricane.”

“I guess we’ll see about that.”

“You drink hurricanes?” Sam asked Dean.

“I do now.” He smiled.

Over near the pool table, a man, Reggie, entered.

“Hi, John.”

“Reggie. Everything okay with you?”

“I don’t know.” Reggie shrugged. “I’m just not feeling myself today.”

Sam spotted that Reggie had a gun. “Hey.” He said to Dean and Angela.

“Hey, what are you doing?!” John yelled.

Dean tackles him to the ground, but not before he shot John. Angela and Sam splashed holy water on him. There was no reaction.

“What are you doing?” Reggie asked. “He slept with my wife. The bastard slept with my wife!”

“Somebody call 911!” Sam yelled. Sam exchanged a look with Trotter.

Later, police officers cuffed Reggie and lead him away.

“Too many cops here,” Angela muttered. “I say we roll,” she added, Sam nodding in agreement.

“Just be cool,” Dean said. “Poor jerk. Only thing possessing him was a sixer of Pabst.”

“So, what’s the deal, then?” Sam asked. “People in this town getting possessed or not?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it is just what it is, town full of scumbags.” Dean muttered.

“Yeah. Maybe.” Angela muttered.

“You three ready for your mug shots?” the police officer asked. The three looked nervous. “The photographer’s gonna be here in a few and take your picture for the local paper.”

“Be an honor, officer,” Dean said, relieved. “What a thrill.”

“Yep, time to go,” Angela replied.

“Wait a second. Wait a second.”

“What?” Sam asked.

“Where’s Richie?” Dean frowned.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela sat at a table. There was a large burger in front of Dean.

“Thanks,” Sam said to the barman. He returned to the table with beers. “You do realize there’s red meat within striking distance, right?” Sam asked Dean.

“How many times I got to tell Richie, he’s gonna get himself in trouble?” Dean asked.

“Dean, you’re assuming he’s missing,” Angela replied. “I mean, maybe he just bailed.”

“He’s a moron,” Dean said. “He’s a sweet moron, but he’s not a coward. He wouldn’t just bail. I got to go find him.”

“All right. Meanwhile, I think Angie and I are gonna trail this Trotter guy.”

“Yeah?” Dean raised a brow.

“I don’t know.” Sam shrugged. “Something about the way he looked at me last night. Maybe there is something going on here.”

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were in a corridor outside Trotter’s office. His phone rang, startling both of them.

“Dean,” Sam said.

 _“Sammy,”_ Dean replied.

“Yeah. Hey. We can’t talk right now.”

 _“You two okay?”_ Dean asked.

“Yeah, we’re fine. Just meet us at the bar in 20 minutes, okay?” Sam replied, hanging up.

“Sam!” Dean said.

~/~\~

“I got to tell you, every woman in this place, they want to eat you up.” A woman said.

“Anybody could have tackled that guy… and wrestled the gun away… prevented mass murder,” Dean replied.

“Here’s what I’m gonna do. Normally, I charge $400 a night.” She said. “Why don’t we call it an even deuce and get the hell out of here?” she whispered.

“What do I look like?” Dean asked, incredulous.

“What do I look like?” she countered. “Cheapskate.” She muttered as she walked away.

“Did I just see you strike out with a prostitute?” Casey asked. “How’s that work?”

“I just told her I had a thing for the bartender. It was pretty easy.”

“Who says the bartender’s available?” she smirked.

“That’s a good question, you got something going with some guy about yea tall, wears a sweatsuit?”

“Who?” she asked.

“No. My mistake. What do you say you and me grab a drink after your shift?”

“I saw why wait… when we can go right now?”

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were rifling through the desk. Trotter and his bodyguard entered. Sam tackled the bodyguard and Angela ran after Sam. Trotter held a gun to both of them.

“What are you two doing here?”

“I think maybe you should know,” Angela replied.

“Yeah, Well, I think I’m calling the cops.”

“Cops?” Sam and Angela frowned.

“Breaking and entering, assault, you two are in a peck of trouble, my friends.”

“Uh, well, I think we could possibly explain it!” Sam replied. Sam wrestled the gun from him, got Angela behind him, and pointed the gun at both men. “All right, back up!”

“Get back,” Trotter said. “Money’s in the safe! Take it and go.”

“We don’t want your money,” Sam replied. “We just got to be sure.”

Sam splashed both men with holy water. Nothing happened.

“What kind of psychos are you?” Trotter asked.

Angela moved to stand next to Sam. “Oh, god.” She said, embarrassed. “I think this was just a minor misunderstanding?” she asked.

Sam nodded in agreement. “Yeah, okay. How ‘bout we just leave, cause…” he removed the bullets from the gun. “You know, we’ll take these.” He placed the gun down. “We’ll, uh, we’ll leave this for, uh…”

“You, uh… have a nice day?” Angela smiled weakly.

~/~\~

“Looks like the maid’s day off,” Dean said, looking around. Casey seemed surprised at something. “Everything okay?”

She kissed Dean. “Make yourself comfortable.”

“Oh, I forgot to mention… Richie was a friend of mine.” Dean replied. “When I realized I could track the GPS in his cellphone, I swung by earlier. Gave him a proper burial. It’s better than rotting in some skank’s basement.”

Casey launched herself at Dean, but something stopped her. Dean kicked back the corner of the rug, which was covering a devil’s trap he had drawn.

“Whoops,” Dean said. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Isn’t that a buzzkill?” he added. “Sorry, sister, but you’re going back to where you came from.”

“I don’t think so.” She replied.

Dean took out a book and began to read in Latin. “Spiritus in mundus un glorum suarum umitite palatum iram domine.”

Casey concentrated, and suddenly all the pages from Dean’s book flew around the room. Then the entrance to the basement caved in.

“What are you laughing at, bitch?” he asked. “You’re still trapped.”

“So are you… bitch.” She smirked.

Later, Dean lit candles and examined the rockfall.

“Lose something?” she asked.

“All you demons have such smart mouths.” He muttered.

“It’s a gift.” She shrugged.

“Well, let’s see if you’re smiling when I send your ass back to hell.”

“Without your little exorcism book?” she raised a brow. “Hey, go ahead.”

“Spiritus in mundus… Spiritus…”

“Having a little trouble there, sport?” she smirked slightly.

“Spiritus in mundus un glorum suarum umitite palatum.”

“Nice try, but I think you just ordered a pizza.” She replied. “I guess you should have paid more attention in Latin class.”

“Hey, I don’t know what you’re smiling about. You’re not going anywhere.”

“And, apparently, neither are you.”

“Yeah, but I got two people coming for me, and, uh… they did pay attention in class.”

“Oh, right, Sam and Angie. Everyone says they’re the brains of the outfit.” She murmured.

“Everyone?” Dean asked.

“Sure. You three are famous. Not Lohan famous, but, you know…”

“Well, that’s flattering.” He replied, sarcasm in his voice. “I’ll be sure to let Sam and Angie know when they get here.”

“If they show up first.” She shrugged. “What, you thought I was flying solo?” she asked. “You shouldn’t underestimate, Dean. Might be the death of you. You can give me hard eyes all you want, but the fact remains, we just have to wait and see who shows up first,” she paused. “The cavalry or the Indians.”

~/~\~

The prostitute who tried to pick-up Dean earlier sat at the bar, next to Sam, who was sitting next to Angela.

“You look kind of tense.” She said. “You know, I know a surefire way to relax.” She purred. She glanced at Angela. “Y’know, if you want a little somethin’ on the side.” She whispered.

Sam glanced at Angela and then looked at the prostitute. “We-we aren’t, uh we aren’t together.” He stammered slightly. He swallowed thickly. “Maybe later. Excuse me.” He said hurriedly.

“What can I get for you two?” the barman asked.

“Um, you remember the guy we were with last night?” Angela asked. “We sat right here.”

“The big hero who jumped on Reggie.” The barman nodded.

“Yeah, yeah,” Sam replied. “The, the big hero.” He muttered. “Right. Um, have you seen him around at all today?”

“Maybe. Depends.”

“D-depends on what?” Sam asked.

The barman raised an eyebrow. Angela sighed, catching on.

“Oh, my, does everyone around here have their hand out?” she grumbled. She handed the barman some money.

“He left with Casey about an hour ago.”

“Any idea where they went?” Angela asked.

“Her place… for bible study.”

“You got an address?” Sam asked.

“What’s wrong with you?” the barman asked. “You think I’m gonna give you a co-worker’s address just so you can go over there and get your freaky peeping-tom rocks off?” he raised a brow. “Why don’t you take your girlfriend out or something’?” he gestured to Angela.

Sam handed over more money.

“Corner of Piermont and Clinton.” The barman said. He eyed the two slightly. “Have fun.”

~/~\~

“Why don’t you relax?” Casey asked.

“Why don’t you kiss my ass?” Dean retorted.

“Why, Dean, you’re a poet. I had no idea.” She replied, sarcasm dripping from her voice. “Look, we won’t have any effect on the outcome of this. We might as well be civil.”

“Civil, huh? Killing Richie, that was civil? The guy was harmless.”

“That knife he pulled on me didn’t look so harmless.”

“A knife wouldn’t hurt you.” He rolled his eyes.

“No, but it would damage this body and Casey has such a fine body, I wouldn’t want to see it ripped.”

“A demon with a heart. Wow.” Dean said. “Well, you know, there’s a bunch of dead people in town that might disagree with you.”

“Hey, I didn’t pull any triggers.” She defended.

“Yeah? You did something.”

“You want to know what I did, what I really did? I had lunch.”

“Lunch?” Dean raised a brow.

“Me and Trotter. He had a cheeseburger, I had a salad, and I just pointed out the money that could be made with a few businesses that cater to harmless vice. So Trotter built it, and, man, did they come. Supposedly god-fearing folk, waist-deep in booze, sex, gambling. I barely lifted a finger.”

“That’s it?”

“You don’t get it.” She replied. “All you got to do is nudge humans in the right direction. Some whiskey here, a hooker there, and they’ll walk right into hell with big, fat smiled on their faces. Your kind is corrupt, Dean. Weak. Our will’s stronger. That’s why we’ll win.”

“And that’s how it ends?” Dean asked.

“No. That’s how it begins.” She whispered.


	8. Sin City Part 2

“Dean?” Angela called as they looked around Casey’s home.

Sam and Angela checked out the place. Sam found a yellow powder and looked at Angela.

“Sulfur.” He commented.

~/~\~

“So, demons take over,” Dean started. “I thought the meek shall inherit the earth.”

“Oh, according to your bible.” Casey shrugged. “It’s only a book, Dean.”

“Not everyone would agree.”

“Because it’s God’s book? Do _you_ believe in god, Dean?” she asked. “I’d be surprised if you did.”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I’d like to.”

“Well, I don’t see how you and your god, have done such a bang-up job,” Casey scoffed. “War, genocide, it’s only getting worse. This past century, you people racked up a body count that amazed even us. It’s our turn now, and we’re gonna do it right this time.”

Suddenly, Dean heard a noise and looked up towards the grate.

“Don’t be hopeful, Dean. You’re not delivered. It’s only the wind.”

~/~\~

“Bobby, it’s Sam and Angela. We got a big problem. I found some sulfur, and now we can’t find Dean. Call me as soon as you get this.” Sam explained. “Hey, excuse me. They weren’t there.” He told the barman.

“I guess you got to catch your jollies another night.” He replied and looked at Angela. “What? Is it like a couple thing for ya? Here. Why don’t you two have a drink and relax?”

“We’re, we’re not togeth—

“We don’t want to relax.” Sam interrupted Angela. “What is it with the people in this town?”

“Suit yourself, princess.” The barman muttered.

Sam saw Father Gil in the bar and both Sam and Angela approached him.

“Father,” Angela greeted.

“Yes?”

“Um… can we talk to you for a sec?” Sam asked.

~/~\~

“You’re piling it pretty high there, sweetheart. I’m not sure I’m, buying.” Dean said.

“Why would I lie?” she asked innocently.

“Demons lie.”

“Some do. Some are true believers.”

“Believers in what?” he asked.

“You think humans have an exclusive on a higher power?” she asked.

“You have a god?” Dean raised a brow.

“Sure.” She nodded. “His name’s Lucifer.”

“You mean the devil?”

“Your word, not ours. Lucifer actually means ‘light-bringer.’ Look it up.” She replied. “Once he was the most beautiful of all god’s angels. But God demanded that he bow down before man, and when he refused, god banished him. Tell me, Dean. How do you like bowing before lesser creatures?”

“Lucifer’s really real?” Dean asked.

“Well, no one’s actually seen him, but they say that he made us into what we are, and they say that he’ll return.”

“Oh, yeah? And, uh, you believe that?”

“I’ve got faith.” She shrugged. “So, you see? Is my kind really all that different than yours?”

“Well, except that, uh, demons are evil.”

“…and humans are such a lovable bunch.” She said sarcastically. “Dick Cheney.”

“He one of yours?”

“Not yet.” She replied. “Let’s just say he’s got a parking spot reserved for him downstairs.”

“Hey, speaking of downstairs… what’s it like down there?”

“What, hell?” Casey raised a brow.

“Yeah.” Dean nodded.

“That’s right.” She murmured. “You booked a one-way ticket with that deal. You’re not gonna like it, Dean. And, um, judging from the trouble you’ve caused, I don’t think you’ll be getting the presidential suite.” She added. “No, it’s a pit of despair. Why do you think we want to come here?”

~/~\~

“So, the, the bartender the other night, Casey, you know her pretty well?” Angela asked.

“Since she was in pigtails.” Father Gil nodded.

“Well, um, she and my brother, they, uh… they… left tonight. Together.” Sam said.

“Well, not that I approve, but they are consenting adults.”

“Right.” Sam nodded.

“I’m sorry. You said ‘brother.’ I thought you were insurance investigators.”

“Right, right. Well, we are. Um, it’s like a family business, I’m a close friend, you know?” Angela replied. “Anyways, um, so, we went to Casey’s apartment, and they weren’t there. We just have this feeling that they... that they might be in trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“Just trouble,” Sam answered vaguely. “Please, Father, we need your help. Is there anything you could tell me about Casey, anyplace she’d go, maybe?”

“Yes, there is a place.” The Father nodded. “Let me get my jacket.”

“No, wait, father. We can do this by ourselves.” Sam assured.

“Son, if Casey’s really in trouble, then there’s nothing to talk about.” He said, standing and putting on his coat. Sam and Angela didn't see that he’s a demon. “Shall we go?”

~/~\~

“Kind of funny, don’t you think?” Casey asked. “You and me sitting here like a couple of regular folks.”

“It’s hilarious, you know, in that apocalyptic sort of way.”

“You’re all right, Dean. The others don’t describe you that way. But, you know, you’re, you’re likable.”

“A demon likes me,” Dean muttered. “Sorry, I don’t know how to respond to that.”

“You could say thanks.” She suggested. “That deal you made to save Sam and Angela, a lot of others would mock you for it, think it was weak or stupid. I don’t.”

“It’s been kind of liberating, actually. Y’know, what’s the point in worrying about a future when you don’t have one?”

“Still, a year left.” She said. “You’re not scared?”

“Nah.”

“Not even a little?” she raised a brow.

“Of course not.”

~/~\~

“So, insurance investigating.” The Father said. “You two enjoy the work?”

“Yeah.” Angela nodded. “We… like being able to help people.”

“Ever think about doing anything else?”

“Like what?” Sam asked.

“Mmm, anything. You two seem like smart kids. Somehow I see you two out in front of the pack. You two could do some great things.”

“I don’t know. We like what we’re doing, I guess.” Angela shrugged.

“Well, it’s your life. Does, um… Dean?”

“Yeah, Dean.” Sam nodded.

“Does he find trouble often?”

Angela laughed slightly. “Yeah, yeah, Dean finds his fair share.”

“Well, it’s a good thing he has you two.” The Father muttered. “His brother’s keeper and good ol’ Angie.”

~/~\~

Casey was stretching languorously on the floor. “Why, Dean, if I didn’t know better, I’d say that was lust in your eyes.” She smirked. “Well, it would be one way to spend the time but I don’t think you’d respect me in the morning.”

“That’s okay. I mean, hey, I barely respect you now.” He replied. “Hey, can I asked you a question?”

“I’m an open book.”

“So, the gate opened. The demon army was let out. What now, huh? I’m not seeing a big, honking plan here.”

“Honestly, there was a plan. Azazel was a tyrant, but he held us all together.”

“Azazel?”

“You think his brothers just called him ‘yellow eyes’? He had a name. After you did him in, it all fell apart.”

“Sorry about that,” Dean replied. “So, what? No chain of command?”

“There was.” She replied. “It was Sam and Angela. "Sam and Angela were supposed to lead the big army together, but they haven’t exactly stepped up to the plate, have they? Haven’t even gotten together.”

“Thank god for that,” Dean muttered. “And that’s one thing I’ll agree on. Sam and Angie need to get together, soon. I’ll admit, they were made for each other.”

“Again with god.” She muttered. “You think this is a good thing? Now you’ve got chaos, a war without a front, hundreds of demons all jockeying for power, all fighting for the crown. Most of them gunning for your brother and Angela. For the record, I was ready to follow them.”

~/~\~

“Dean?!” Sam and Angela yelled.

~/~\~

“Looks like you win.” Casey sighed.

~/~\~

“Dean!” Sam yelled.

“Check that way,” Angela told Father Gil.

“Sam! Angie!” Dean yelled.

“Dean?” Angela asked.

“Sammy, Angie, down here! The basement caved in!”

“Dean. Hey, hold on, okay? We’re coming.” Sam said.

“Who’s we besides you and Angie?” Dean asked.

“We’re here with the Father,” Angela replied.

“Sammy, Angie, be careful,” Dean warned.

Sam and Angela turned to see Father Gil reveal himself as a demon. A shot was fired. It was Bobby, but Father Gil used his powers to fling him aside. He then threw Sam and Angela into the windscreen of the Impala. He left and Sam and Angela rushed to where Bobby lied.

“Bobby, you all right?” Angela asked.

“Yeah.” He nodded.

“How did you know where we…” Sam started.

“Go,” Bobby told them.

“You hear the man. Go.” Ruby said.

~/~\~

Father Gil smashed in through the cave-in and flung Dean aside with his power.

“Stop!” Casey yelled.

She pointed to the devil’s trap. Father Gil used his power to crack the floor and break it. They embraced and kissed.

“You two?” Dean asked.

“For centuries.” Father Gil said. “We’ve been through hell and back, literally.”

“Leave him be,” Casey said. Father Gil grabbed Dean by the throat and lifted him up. “Don’t kill him. Let’s just go. Please.”

Sam and Angela appeared and Angela shot Father Gil, killing him. She pointed it at Casey.

“Angie, wait!” Dean said.

Sam grabbed the Colt and shot her, and the bodies of Casey and Father Gil, no longer possessed, lied dead on the devil’s trap.

~/~\~

“Well, what do you think, Bobby?” Dean asked. “What we did here, you think it made a difference?”

“Two less demons to worry about. That’s not nothing.” Bobby said.

“But Trotter’s still alive.”

“Humans ain’t our job.”

“Yeah, but do you think anything’s really gonna change? Maybe these people do just want to really destroy themselves. Maybe it is a losing battle.”

“Is that you or the demon girl talking?”

“Oh, it’s me.” Dean nodded. “Demon is dead, and so is that hot girl it was possessing.”

“Well, had to be done. Sam and Angela were saving your life.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t see it, Bobby. It was cold. Even when Angie shot the priest, there was no hesitation, she didn’t even think about the man inside there…” he muttered. “Bobby.”

“Yeah?”

“Back in Wyoming, uh, there was this moment. Yellow eyes said something to me.”

“What did he say?”

“That maybe when Sam and Angie came back from wherever, that… maybe they came back different.”

“Different how?”

“I don’t know. Whatever it was, it didn’t sound good. You think… think something’s wrong with them?”

“No. Demons lie. I’m sure they’re both okay.”

“Yeah. Yeah, me too.”

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were packing up their belongings.

“Leaving so soon?” Ruby asked. “We haven’t even had a chance to celebrate.”

“Yeah, well, you can celebrate without us,” Angela replied.

“You two aren’t gonna get all pouty on me now, are you? Come on! You guys killed two demons today.”

“Yeah, well, maybe you don’t care, but we killed two humans too,” Sam said.

“Sam, Angela, you know what happens when demons piggyback humans.” She replied. “They leave them road hard and put up wet. Chances are those two would have died a slow, sticky death. You two probably did them a favor.”

Angela glared at her. “Did them a favor? You’re a cold bitch, you know that?”

Ruby glared right back at her. “Yeah, and this cold bitch had saved your asses a couple of times now.” She replied. “Some respect might be nice. Especially if you want me to help you two out with Dean and his little problem.”

“You know what?” Sam asked. “You keep dangling that, but last time I checked, Dean’s still going to hell.”

“Everything in its own time, you two. There’s a quid pro quo here. We’re in a war.”

“Right but for some reason, you’re fighting on our team,” Angela said. “Now, tell me, why is that again?”

“Go screw yourself. That’s why. I don’t have to justify my actions to you two. If you don’t want my help, fin, then give me the gun and I’ll pass it on to someone who will use it.”

Angela pointed the Colt at Ruby. “Maybe I’ll just use it on you.” 

“Go ahead, if that makes you happy. It’s not gonna do much for Dean, though.” She shrugged. “So what’s it gonna be?”

Sam pulled Angela back and lightly pushed her arm down, so the gun was lowered.

“There we go,” Ruby said. “This won’t be easy, you two. You’re gonna have to do things that go against that gentle nature of yours. There’ll be collateral damage… but, it has to be done.”

“Well, we don’t have to like it,” Sam said.

“No. You wouldn’t be Sam and Angie if you did. On the bright side, I’ll be there with you. That little fallen angel on your shoulders.”

Angela swallowed thickly. She didn’t have to go along with this, and she refused to go along with it. It wasn’t right, and she just couldn’t bring herself to trust a demon… She looked up at Sam and sighed.


	9. Bedtime Stories Part 1

“I don’t understand, Dean,” Sam huffed. “Why not?”

“Because I said so.”

“We got the Colt now!” Sam retorted. “Angie, back me up.”

Angela sighed, unsure. “I-I dunno, Sam.” 

“Sam…” Dean said warningly.

“We can summon the Crossroads Demon…” Sam started.

They shouted over each other’s words, getting louder each time, giving Angela a headache.

“We’re not summoning anything,” Dean stressed.

Angela sighed. “I’m with Dean on this one, we can’t summon anything, Sam.”

“… pull the gun on her and force her to let you out of your deal!” Sam continued.

“We don’t even know if that’ll work!” Dean yelled.

“Well, then we’ll just shoot her!” Sam replied. “If she dies then the deal goes away!”

“We don’t know if that’ll work either, Sam!” Dean shouted. “All you’re pitching us right now is a bunch of ‘ifs’ and ‘maybes’ and that’s not good enough, because if we screw with this deal, you and Angie die!”

“And if we don’t screw with it, you die!” Sam replied. “Angie, come on, say something.”

Angela sighed. “Dean’s right, we need to be positive something will work.” 

“Sam, enough! I am not going to have this conversation.” Dean said.

“Why, because you said so?” Sam asked.

“Yes, because I said so and Angie agrees with me!”

“Well, you’re not Dad!” Sam retorted.

Sam and Dean silently stared at each other. Angela swallowed nervously.

“No, but I am the oldest. And I’m doing what’s best. And you’re going to let this go, you understand me?”

Sam stayed quiet, staring out the window. He looked angry but stifled it. Angela moved to rest a calming hand on his arm. Sam just looked down at her and sighed dejectedly.

“Tell me about the psychotic killer,” Dean said, a bit calmer. “C’mon, Sam, tell me about the psychotic killer. Angie?” he asked.

Angela picked up a paper and read, “Psychotic killer… rips victims apart with brute-like ferocity.”

“Ok, any mention of his razor-sharp teeth or his four-inch claws? Animal eyes?” Dean asked.

Sam looked at the paper. “No. But the lunar cycle’s right. Look, if it is a werewolf we don’t have long, moon’s full this Friday and that’s the last time it changes for a month.”

“Two days, no sweat.” Dean shrugged.

~/~\~

The Impala drove along a highway.

~/~\~

Dean held a fake badge with his photo. The three hunters closed their badges and returned them to their suit pockets. Kyle lied in a hospital bed with bandages and scrapes.

“I’m Detective Plant, this is Detective Page and Detective Martin, we’re with the County Sheriff’s Department,” Dean introduced.

“Yeah, uh, I’ve been expecting you,” Kyle replied.

“You have?” Angela asked.

“All morning. You are the sketch artist, right?”

“…uh,” Sam frowned.

“Absolutely.” Dean nodded.

“Yeah,” Sam replied quietly.

“Yeah. That is exactly who our partner is. The things he can do with a pen.” Dean laughed.

Angela gave Sam a sympathetic smile as Sam glared at Dean.

“But listen before we get started on that I wanted to ask you, uh, how’d you get away?” Dean asked.

“I-I have no idea.” Kyle stammered. “I was hiding, and he found me. He was coming right for me and then he just stopped. Staring at me with this blank look. And after that, he just took off running.”

“Kay.” Sam nodded. “Um, I’m going to need as much physical detail as you can remember.” He said as he pulled out a small notebook and pen from his pocket and started sketching.

“Uh yeah. Uh, he’s about six feet tall…” Kyle started.

“Six feet…” Sam muttered.

“Dark hair,” Kyle added.

Dean and Angela peeked at Sam’s sketch.

“Uhm, what-what about his eyes, what color eyes did he have?” Sam asked.

“Maybe… blue?”

“Blue?” Sam raised a brow.

“It was dark.” Kyle shrugged.

“Did they seem…” Angela cleared her throat. “Uh, animal-ish?”

“Excuse me?” Kyle frowned.

“What about his teeth?” Sam asked. “You notice anything strange about ‘em?”

Kyle shook his head. “No, they were just teeth.”

“Teeth, ok.” Sam nodded.

“How about his fingernails?” Dean asked.

“Ok look he-he’s just a, a normal guy, with normal eyes and-a-and teeth and fingernails!” Kyle exclaimed.

“Look, sir, it’s ok if—

“No. No.” Kyle said. “Those were my brothers. This guy, he, he killed my brothers. How would you feel?”

Angela looked up at Sam.

Sam paused for a moment. “I can’t imagine anything worse.”

Dean glanced at Sam.

“I know this isn’t easy but if you could remember any more details,” Angela said softly.

“Th-there was one more thing he had a, a tattoo on his arm of a cartoon character,” Kyle added. “It’s, uh, it’s the guy who’s chasing the Roadrunner—

“Wile E. Coyote!” Dean grinned.

“Yeah, that’s it.” Kyle nodded.

“Kyle?” Doctor Garrison asked.

“Doctor Garrison,” Kyle said.

“How you holding up?”

“Ok, considering.” Kyle shrugged.

“You’re Kyle’s doctor?” Angela asked.

“Yes?” Doctor Garrison replied.

Angela and Dean held up their badges.

“Can we just ask you a few questions?” Dean asked.

Doctor Garrison nodded. “Sure.”

Dean, Angela, and Doctor Garrison left the room leaving Sam with Kyle. Kyle pointed at Sam’s notebook.

“Don’t I get to see it?”

“Uh, yeah,” Sam replied hesitantly. “Yeah, yeah, uhm yeah it’s a, you know… work in progress.”

Sam handed his notebook over to Kyle. On it was a badly drawn picture of a man, like a child’s drawing.

“Hm,” Kyle mumbled. “It-it’s really… huh.”

~/~\~

A bullfrog sat at the forefront. Sam, Angela, and Dean walked, while Dean and Angela looked at Sam’s drawing.

Angela stifled a giggle. “I-it’s definitely something. I dunno, I kinda like it. I-It’s cute.” 

Dean laughed. “Boy, this is a piece of uh, art. Really.”

Sam snatched back the notebook from Dean. “Yeah, like you two could’ve done any better.” He muttered. “So what did the Doc have to say about Kyle’s brothers?”

“Not much, they were D.O.A. at the scene,” Angela said. “He did give us the lowdown on the Coroner’s report.”

“Lemme guess, their hearts were missing,” Sam replied.

“Nope,” Dean replied. He sighed. “But chunks of their kidneys, lungs, and intestines.”

“That’s just gross,” Sam cringed.

“Yeah, also definitely not werewolf behavior,” Angela commented.

“So, what? Demon?” Sam asked. “Attacker could’ve been possessed.”

“Why would a demon stop halfway through an attack?” Dean asked.

“I think that, uh… coulda… yeah, I got nothing,” Sam said. “Angie?” 

“Zilch.” She sighed.

“Me neither,” Dean said.

~/~\~

Sam and Dean in suits, and Angela in her usual detective attire, approached the nurses’ station. Two Sheriff’s deputies exited a patient’s room. Sam, Angela, and Dean turned away from them and focused on a set of flowers on the counter.

The deputies passed by. Sam, Dean, and Angela turned and continued down the corridor to the room where the deputies exited.

~/~\~

“Please, please,” Julie begged.

“Shh. Hey, we need to observe you while the drugs still might be in your system.” Doctor Garrison said.

“I have to go,” Julie said. “I have things to do, arrangements I need to make!”

“It can wait. Now you need to rest. Stay. Be back in a few minutes.” He replied. He walked towards Sam, Dean, and Angela, who were standing in the doorway. “Detectives.”

“Doctor Garrison,” Dean said.

“What the hell is going on here?” Doctor Garrison asked. “My whole town is going insane.”

“We’ll let you know as soon as we do,” Sam assured him.

Doctor Garrison left. The three moved into the room.

“Ms. Watson?” Angela asked. “Hi. We just need to ask you a few questions.”

The three produced their badges.

“Do we have to go over this again, now?” Julie asked.

“We’ll try to be brief,” Sam replied. “Ms. Watson, can you tell us how you got away?”

Julie nodded. “I didn’t eat as much as Ken did, so I wasn’t as out of it.” She said. “And, when the old woman was… carving up ken, I shoved her and she fell.” She added. “Cracked her head on the stove. She’s dead, right? I, I killed her?”

“D’you have any idea why she did this to you?” Dean asked.

“No!” Julie exclaimed. “One minute she was a sweet old lady and the next she was, like, a monster.”

“Can you remember anything else?” Angela asked.

“Um, yeah.” Julie nodded. “Did you find a little girl there, by any chance?”

“A little girl? At the house?” Sam frowned.

“I thought I saw her outside the window. She just disappeared. Just vanished, into thin air.”

Sam, Dean, and Angela looked at each other.

“It m-must’ve been the drugs,” Julie said.

“This disappearing girl what’d, what did she look like?” Dean asked.

“Does it matter?” Julie raised a brow.

“Yes.” Sam nodded.

“Every detail counts,” Angela said.

Julie sighed. “She had this dark, dark hair and really pale skin. She was around eight. She was a beautiful child, it was… odd to see her in the middle of something so horrible.”

~/~\~

The Impala was parked outside the old lady’s home.

“Well there’s no sulfur anywhere, how about the EMF?” Dean asked from inside.

~/~\~

“Yeah, it’s going nuts,” Sam said. “Right over here by the window. There’s definitely a spirit here.”

“Who stood outside the crime scene and watched,” Dean said.

“Looks like,” Angela muttered.

“What the hell do you make of that?” Dean asked.

“Actually I do have a theory,” Sam said. “Uh, sorta.”

“Hit me,” Dean said.

“Well, thinkin’ about fairy tales.” Sam started.

“Oh that’s, that’s nice.” Dean nodded. “You think about fairy tales often?”

Angela sighed. “No, Dean he’s talking about the murders.” She replied. “A guy and a girl? Hiking through the woods, an old lady tried to eat ‘em? That’s Hansel and Gretel.”

“Then we got three brothers arguing over how to build houses, attacked by the Big Bad Wolf,” Sam added.

“Three Little Pigs.” Dean nodded.

“Yeah,” Angela said.

“Actually those guys were a little chubby,” Dean replied. “Well wait I thought those things ended with uh, everyone living happily ever after?”

“No, no. Not the originals.” Sam said. “See the Grimm brothers stuff was kinda the folklore of its day, full of sex, violence, cannibalism.”

“Now, it got sanitized over the years, turned into Disney flicks and bedtime stories.” Angela continued.

“So you two think the murders are uh, what? A re-enactment? That’s a little crazy.” Dean said.

“Crazy as what? Every day of our lives?” Sam asked.

“Touché,” Dean replied. “How’s the creepy ghost girl involved?”

“Uhm, well, she must’ve been here for a reason,” Angela said. “I’m willing to bet you top dollar she was at the construction site too.”

“We gotta do research now, don’t we?” Dean asked.

Sam and Angela shrugged. Dean closed his eyes.

~/~\~

Dean exited the library, not looking happy.

“So?” Angela asked.

“Checked every record they had,” Dean replied. “Found the usual amount of violent childhood deaths for a town this size.”

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked across the road toward a park.

“Ok,” Sam said.

“Wanna know how many were little girls with black hair and pale skin?” Dean asked.

“Zero.” Sam and Angela replied.

~/~\~

“Zero!” Dean nodded. “You wanna know how many little girls with black hair and pale skin that have gone missing? Right again. Zip. Zilch, nada. Tell me you’ve got something good ‘cause I’ve totally wasted the last six hours.”

“Well, you ever hear of Lillian Bailey?” Angela asked. “She was a British medium from the 1930s.”

“She got a thing for fairy tales?” Dean asked.

“Nah, trances,” Sam said. “See she’d go into these unconscious states where uhm, get this, her thoughts and actions were completely controlled by spirits.”

“A ghost puppet master,” Dean said.

“Yeah.” Sam nodded.

“Think that’s what this kid is doing?” Dean asked. “Sending wolf-boy and grandma into trances, making them go kill-crazy?”

“Could be.” Angela nodded. “You know, kinda like uh, a spirit hypnosis or somethin’.”

“Trances I get, but fairy tale trances?” Dean asked. “That’s bizarre even for us.”

The three stopped walking. They looked down. A bullfrog sat in their path, croaking.

“Yeah, you’re right that’s completely normal,” Angela said.

The bullfrog croaked again and again.

“All right maybe it is fairy tales.” Dean shrugged. “Totally messed-up fairy tales. I tell you one thing, there’s no way I’m kissing a damn frog.”

“Hey, check that out.” Sam pointed to a house opposite. A pumpkin sat on the porch.

“Yeah? It’s close to Halloween.” Dean shrugged.

“What? D’you remember Cinderella?” Sam asked. “The pumpkin that turns into a coach and the mice that become horses?”

“Dude, could you be more gay?” Dean asked.

Sam looked at Dean, nonplussed.

“Don’t answer that,” Dean said.

~/~\~

The three picked the lock and entered the house.

“Well who knows, maybe you’ll find your fairy godmother?” Dean muttered.

They split up, Angela going with Sam. They began to search the house. They heard a noise and drew their guns. Dean closed the front door. They continued to search.

At another noise, Dean motioned for Sam and Angela to head toward it. Dean followed.

“Help I’m in here!” A girl exclaimed.

~/~\~

“Hey, hey,” Angela said. A teenage girl was handcuffed to the oven. “It’s ok we’re here we got you,” Angela muttered. She opened her lock pick kit.

“You have to help me, she’s a lunatic.” The girl said.

“What happened?” Dean asked.

“My stepmom, she just freaked out, screamed at me, beat me. Chained me up.”

“Where is she now?” Sam asked.

“I don’t know.” The girl replied.

Dean looked through the kitchen door and spotted the little dark-haired girl peeking out.

“Sam. Angie,” Dean said.

They looked up and saw her as well.

The little girl turned away. Dean followed her. He walked through the house to the entryway and saw the little girl standing in the living room. She walked out of sight.

~/~\~

Dean entered the living room, looked around, but the girl was gone. Dean paused, then turned around. The little girl had reappeared.

“Who are you?” Dean asked.

The little girl was silent. She flickered and vanished. Dean, surprised, looked down at a red apple on the rug. He picked up the apple, outsmarted.


	10. Bedtime Stories Part 2

Dean sat on the hood of the Impala, playing with the apple. Sam and Angela approached.

“Paramedics picked up Cinderella,” Angela told Dean.

“That’s good.”

“Yeah.” Sam nodded.

Dean tossed the apple to Sam. “So… little girl, shiny red apple. I’m guessing that means something to you two?”

“I think it’s Snow White,” Sam replied.

“Snow White?” Dean asked. “Ah, I saw that movie. Or the porn version anyway. There was this wicked Stepmother? Woo, she was wicked.” 

Angela rolled her eyes. “There is a wicked Stepmother. And she tried to kill Snow White with a poison apple.” 

“But the apple doesn’t actually kill the girl, right?” Dean asked.

“No,” Sam shook his head. “Puts her into a deep sleep, so deep it’s almost like she’s dead.”

He tossed the apple back to Dean. The three of them got into the Impala.

~/~\~

“No, sorry.” The nurse said. “We don’t have any comatose little girls.”

“You sure?” Sam asked.

“Totally.” She nodded. “It’s mostly old guys. And well… Callie. She’s been around since before I started here.”

“Callie?” Dean asked.

“Yeah, it’s so sad. And poor Doctor Garrison he just won’t give up on her.”

“Is Callie one of his patients?” Angela asked.

“No. His daughter.” The nurse replied.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela arrived at Callie Garrison’s room. They stopped outside the doorway. They watched as Doctor Garrison read to Callie.

~/~\~

“…and the Huntsman stepped inside, and in the bed lay the Wolf. So the Huntsman took a pair of scissors and cut open the wolf’s belly.” Doctor Garrison read.

The three hunters exchanged glances at each other. Doctor Garrison noticed them. He put down the book, got up, and walked to the three hunters.

He cleared his throat. “Detectives. Can I help you?”

“We just… heard that Callie is your daughter,” Dean said.

“And we wanted to say how very sorry we are,” Sam added.

“It’s awful that she’s in this sort of state.” Angela murmured.

Doctor Garrison nodded. “Well, uh. Thank you. If you’ll excuse me.”

~/~\~

“Oh, heading this way?” Dean asked. “We’ll walk with you. How long’s Callie been like that?”

“We don’t mean to intrude, we can’t possibly understand how hard it must be for you seeing her like this,” Angela said.

“It’s not easy.” Doctor Garrison replied. “She’s uh, been here since she was eight years old.”

“That’s when she was poisoned?” Sam asked.

“Yes.” Doctor Garrison nodded. “Swallowed bleach. Never figured out how she got her hands on the bottle. My wife found her, uh, brought her to the ER here and I was on call.”

“Your wife was uh, was that Callie’s stepmother?” Dean asked.

Doctor Garrison stopped walking and looked at Dean. “Actually, yes. How’d you know that?”

Dean shrugged. “Lucky guess.”

“Well, Julie was the only mother that uh, Callie ever knew.” Doctor Garrison said. “My wife passed away last year and uh, it’s just my daughter and me now. She’s all I got left.” He added. He paused. “Uhm, excuse me I gotta get back to work.”

“Yeah.” Dean nodded.

Doctor Garrison walked away. The three hunters shared another look.

“Well, you two were right,” Dean said. “It’s Snow White in spades.”

“Yep.” Angela nodded. “Step-mom poisons the girl, puts her into a deep sleep. What’s the motive you think?”

“Could be like Mischa Barton. Sixth Sense, not the O.C.” Dean replied.

“What?” Sam and Angela asked.

“Hey, you two know fairy tales, I know movies,” Dean replied. “She played the pasty ghost. You know the, uh, remember the mom had that thing you know, where you keep the kid sick so you get all the attention?”

“Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, uh, Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy,” Sam replied. “Huh, could be.”

“So say all these years Callie’s been suffering silently because nobody knows the truth about what mommy dearest did?” Dean asked.

~/~\~

“And after all this time her spirit just gets angrier and angrier, until it finally just starts lashing out,” Angela said.

“Right.” Dean nodded. “Meanwhile she has to listen to dad tell her these deranged stories about a rabid wolf or a cannibalistic old lady, it’s enough to drive anybody nuts.”

“Ok, but how are we gonna stop her, I mean Callie’s stuck here, her father’s keeping her body alive,” Sam said.

“It does make it a bit hard to burn the bones,” Dean replied.

“You think?” Sam asked.

“Coming in!” EMT 1 yelled.

The emergency doors opened and Sam, Dean, and Angela watched as the EMTs brought the Grandmother on a stretcher.

“Ok, what’s her status?” a doctor asked.

“Seventy-two-year-old female, sustained multiple lacerations and puncture wounds. BP is eighty over forty and falling. Sinus tachycardia.” Another EMT said.

“Is that a bite?” the doctor asked.

“Looks like she was mauled by a mad dog or, maybe a wolf?” the second EMT suggested.

~/~\~

“What was the last story Doctor Garrison was reading Callie?” Dean asked.

“Little Red Riding Hood.” Sam and Angela replied.

~/~\~

A cover was thrown over the grandmother. Sam, Dean, and Angela looked on.

~/~\~

“Excuse me,” Sam said.

The three showed their badges to the second EMT.

“Was she the only victim?” Angela asked.

“She was found by the side of the road, barely alive. Alone.”

“We need to find her next of kin,” Dean said.

“Yeah, she had a granddaughter.”

“Do you have an address?” Dean asked. The EMT handed a sheet of paper to Dean. “Thank you.”

“Thanks.” Sam and Angela said.

~/~\~

“Hey, you find a way to stop Callie, all right?” Dean said to Sam and Angela.

“What about you?” Sam asked.

“I’m gonna go stop the Big Bad Wolf,” Dean replied. He paused. “Which is the weirdest thing I’ve ever said.”

Dean walked away. Sam and Angela stared after him.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were searching the corridors, spotting Doctor Garrison.

“Doctor Garrison!” Angela exclaimed. “We need to speak with you.”

“Detectives. What can I do for you?”

“Well, uhm. It’s about Callie.” Sam said.

“My daughter? What about her?”

“You know maybe, maybe we could sit down for a minute?” Angela asked.

“No. What about her?” Doctor Garrison repeated, annoyed.

“Kay. Well um.” Sam paused. “All right doctor, this isn’t gonna be easy. What happened to Callie was not an accident.”

“Excuse me?”

“We’re sorry, but it’s true,” Angela said.

“You have no idea what happened to my daughter.” Doctor Garrison replied. He turned and walked away. Sam and Angela followed.

“There are things you don’t know doctor, about your wife,” Sam said.

“My wife?”

“Doctor, your wife _poisoned_ Callie,” Angela said.

He stopped and turned back to them. He paused. “Why would you say something so horrible to me?”

“Because we need your help,” Sam replied.

“You stay away from me, and my daughter, you understand?”

“Doctor this isn’t… please, uh.” Angela tried.

Doctor Garrison shut Callie’s door in their faces. They sighed, opened the door, entered, and closed it behind them.

~/~\~

“I’m calling security.” Doctor Garrison said. He reached for the internal phone. Sam clamped his hand over it to stop him.

“No, listen,” Angela pleaded. “We don’t have time to do this gently. If you don’t listen to us more people are going to get hurt, because Callie is going to hurt them.”

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

“You’re going to think we’re crazy, but just understand us,” Sam replied. “Your daughter Callie is still here. She’s a spirit.”

Doctor Garrison looked over at Callie sadly. He sat at the end of her bed, turning back to Sam and Angela. “So you’ve seen her too.”

Sam and Angela looked at each other, surprised.

~/~\~

Dean broke down the door and moved through the house, gun drawn. He crossed the doorway again and pushed the door closed.

~/~\~

Dean saw the little girl in the red hoodie crying in the living room. He moved to her and crouched down.

“You ok?” he asked.

“Yeah, ah!” she screamed.

The man appeared and attacked Dean, knocking the gun out of his hand.

Dean punched the man. The man threw Dean across the room against a dining table. Dean moved toward the man, but the man threw Dean over the table and into a china cabinet, smashing the glass. Dean fell to the floor.

~/~\~

“I sensed her, Callie.” Doctor Garrison said. “Her presence, her scent. I even saw her standing at the foot of my bed but I never…” he paused. “Believed it, I thought I was dreaming, I—

“It wasn’t a dream,” Sam replied. “She looks like she did when she was eight. White dress. Red ribbon in her hair. She’s been trying to talk to you.”

Doctor Garrison sighed. “You’re not cops are you?”

“No,” Angela replied.

“Then who are you two?”

“People who know a little bit about this kind of thing,” Angela said.

“But what you said about my wife poisoning Callie, that’s—

“Sir. Callie told us.” Sam whispered.

“What?!”

“Not in so many words, but in her own way,” Angela said softly. “She told us.”

He shook his head. “My wife loved Callie. So how is, how is that possible?”

“We don’t know. But it is.” Sam said.

“No. No I, I don’t believe you.”

“Look, Callie is killing people,” Angela said. “She’s desperate because nobody will listen to her. So you have to listen to her. Please, listen to your daughter.”

~/~\~

Dean and the man continued to fight. Callie’s spirit looked on, smiling. Dean grabbed a pair of scissors from a nearby knitting basket and swung at the man. Dean punched the man. He hit a bookshelf and collapsed.

Callie’s spirit was suddenly distracted by Doctor Garrison’s voice.

“Callie? Callie, it’s Dad.”

Callie’s spirit flickered and disappeared from the room.

~/~\~

“It’s me, Daddy. Is it true? Mommy do that to you? I know I wasn’t listening before, but I’m listening now. Daddy’s here. Please honey, is there something you wanna tell me?”

“Doctor…” Sam said.

Doctor Garrison looked up at Sam and Angela, who nodded toward Doctor Garrison’s side. Callie’s spirit stood beside the bed.

“Is it true?”

Callie’s spirit nodded.

~/~\~

The man pushed Dean and threw him to the floor. They struggled for the scissors.

~/~\~

Doctor Garrison was in tears. “I’m so sorry, baby. But listen to me. You gotta stop what you’re doing, ok? You’re hurting people. I know everything now. I know the truth. It’s time for you to let go. It’s time for me to let you go.”

Doctor Garrison turned back to Callie’s body in the hospital bed. He kissed her forehead. Callie’s monitors buzzed. Sam and Angela looked down, upset.

~/~\~

The man struggled on top of Dean. Dean pushed him off and rolled on top of the man. Dean punched the man. He raised the scissors overhead.

“Whoa!” the man exclaimed. “Stop, stop! Whoa, stop! Whoa! Where am I? What’s going on?!”

Dean lowered the scissors, exhausted.

~/~\~

Doctor Garrison wept and stroked his daughter’s hair. He turned, but her spirit was gone.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela stood with Doctor Garrison in front of the nurses’ station.

“And the girl’s ok?” Doctor Garrison asked.

Dean nodded.

He sighed. “So, it’s really over.”

“Yeah,” Sam replied.

“All thanks to you,” Angela added.

“Callie was the most important thing in my life. But I should’ve let her go a long time ago.”

“See ya ‘round, Doc,” Dean said.

“I sure hope not.” He replied.

Doctor Garrison patted Dean on the shoulder and walked away. The three watched him go.

“You know what he said? Some good advice.” Dean said.

“Is that what you want us to do Dean? Just let you go?” Sam asked.

Dean didn’t answer. He looked at Sam and Angela. Dean walked down the corridor alone. Sam watched and Angela took his hand, looking up at him.

~/~\~

Dean turned over in his sleep. Angela was sleeping on the couch nearby, turning slightly. Sam’s bed was messy and empty. Sam picked up his backpack from the bed. He headed for the door, looked back at Dean, and Angela briefly before he silently departed.

~/~\~

Sam crouched at the center of the crossroads holding an open box. He added a photo ID to the contents, closed the box, and buried it with his hands. Sam dusted off his hands and stood, surveying the four routes of the crossroads. As he turned his back, a woman in a black dress appeared.

“Well. Little Sammy Winchester.” She smirked. “I’m touched. I mean… your brother’s been to see me twice, but you? I never had the pleasure.”

Sam just silently glared at her.

“What can I do for you, Sam?” she asked.

Sam drew the Colt and pointed it at the demon. “You can beg for your life.”

“We were having such a nice conversation, then you had to go and ruin the mood.” She replied.

“If I were you I’d drop the wisecracks and start acting scared.” He warned.

“It’s not my style.” She shrugged. “That’s not the original Colt.” She commented. “Where did you get that? Ruby. Had to be. She is such a pain in my ass. She’ll get what’s coming to her…” she paused. “You can count on it.”

“That’s enough,” Sam growled. “I came here to make you an offer.”

“You’re gonna make _me_ an offer?” she asked, incredulous. “That’s adorable.”

“You can let Dean out of his deal right now. He lives, Angie lives, I live. You live. Everyone goes home happy. Or…” Sam cocked the Colt. “You stop breathing. Permanently.”

“Oh.” She laughed. “All this tough talk. I have to tell you, it’s not very convincing. I mean, come on Sam. Do you even wanna break the deal?”

“What do you think?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Aren’t you and Angie tired of cleaning up Dean’s messes? Of dealing with that broken psyche of his? Aren’t you and your girlfriend tired of being bossed around like snot-nosed little kids? You’re both stronger than Dean. You’re both better than him.”

“Watch your mouth,” Sam warned.

“Admit it. You’re here, going through the motions.” She whispered. “But truth is… you and Angie’ll be a tiny bit relieved when he’s gone.”

“Shut up,” Sam replied.

“No more desperate, sloppy, needy Dean. You and Angie can finally be free.”

“I said shut up!” he yelled.

“Huh. Doth protest too much if you ask me.”

“All right, enough of your crap. You let Dean out of his deal right now.”

“Sorry sweetheart, but your brother’s an adult.” She replied. “He made that deal of his own free will, fair and square. It’s ironclad.”

“Every deal can be broken.”

“Not this one.”

“Fine. Then I’ll kill you. If you’re gone, so’s the deal.”

She laughed. “Guess again.”

“What?” Sam frowned.

“Sam, I’m just a saleswoman.” She replied. “I got a boss like everybody. He holds the contract, not me. He wants Dean’s soul, bad. And believe me. He’s not going to let it go.”

“You’re bluffing.”

“Am I?” she asked. “Shoot me, if it’ll get you off, but the deal still holds, and when Dean’s time is up, he’s getting dragged into the pit.”

“Then who’s your boss? Who holds the contract?”

“He’s not as cuddly as me I can tell you that.”

“Who is it?”

“I can’t tell you. I’m sorry Sam. There’s no way outta this one. Not this time.”

Sam looked torn, before sighing and shooting the demon right between the eyes. She went down with a groan and Sam watched calmly.


	11. Red Sky at Morning Part 1

Dean was driving, Sam in the passenger’s seat and Angela in the backseat. There was a tense silence in the car, which Dean broke.

“So, Angie and I’ve been waiting since Maple Springs,” Dean started with an accusing tone. “You got something to tell us?”

“It’s not your birthday,” Sam replied, playing dumb.

“No,” Dean replied.

“Happy… Purim?” Sam asked. “Dude, I don’t know. I have no idea what you’re talking—

“There’s a bullet missing from the Colt,” Angela replied softly, looking up at Sam.

“You want to tell us how that happened?” Dean asked harshly. “I know it wasn’t me. I know it wasn’t Angie. So unless you were shooting at some incredibly evil cans… you went after her, didn’t you? The crossroads demon. After I told you not to.”

“Yeah, well…” Sam started.

“You could have gotten yourself killed!” Dean snapped.

“I didn’t.”

“And you shot her,” Angela added.

“She was a smartass.” He shrugged.

“So, what? Does that mean I’m out of my deal?” Dean asked.

“Don’t you think I might have mentioned that little fact, Dean?” Sam asked. “No. Someone else holds the contract.”

“Who?” Dean asked.

“She wouldn’t say.” Sam sighed.

“Well, we should find out who,” Dean replied. “Of course, our best lead would be the crossroads demon. Oh, wait a minute…”

“That’s not funny,” Sam muttered.

“No, it’s not!” Dean exclaimed. “It was a stupid freaking risk, and you shouldn’t have done it.”

“I shouldn’t have done it?” Sam asked. “You’re my brother, Dean. And no matter what you do, I’m gonna try and save you. And I’m sure as hell not gonna apologize for it, all right?”

Angela sighed. “Sam, I’d do anything for Dean too, I would.” She whispered. “J-Just, please, be careful. Please.”

Sam looked at her and swallowed thickly. He nodded slightly.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela were impersonating officers of the law to interview a witness. She was holding a framed photograph of the shower-drowning victim. The witness’s name was Gertrude Case, and she was elegant and well-groomed and approximately 70 years old. She began to flirt shamelessly with Sam.

“But I don’t understand,” Gert frowned. “I already went over all this with the other detectives.”

“Right, yes.” Dean nodded. “But, see, we’re with the Sheriff’s Department, not the police department, different departments.”

“So, Mrs. Case…” Sam started.

“Please. _Ms._ Case.” Gert cut in.

“Okay,” Sam cleared his throat. “Um, Ms. Case, um… you were the one who found your niece, correct?”

“I came home, she was in the shower.”

“Drowned?” Angela asked.

“So the coroner says.” She nodded. “Now, you tell me, how can someone drown in the shower?”

“How would you describe Sheila’s behavior in the days before her death?” Sam asked. “I mean, did she seem frightened?”

“Maybe she said something out of the ordinary?” Angela added.

“Wait a minute,” Gert said. “You’re working with Alex, aren’t you?”

“Yep. Absolutely.” Dean nodded. “That’s,” he laughed. “Alex and us, we’re like this.” He crossed his index and middle fingers.

“Why didn’t you say so?” Gert asked. “Alex has been such a comfort. But I’m sorry. I thought the case was solved.”

“Well, no. No, not yet.” Sam replied.

“I see.” Gert nodded.

“So, anyways, we were talking about your niece,” Angela reminded.

“Well, yes. Sheila mentioned something quite strange before she died.” Gert replied. “She said she saw a boat.”

“A boat?” Dean raised his eyebrows.

“Yes.” Gert nodded. “One minute it was there, then it was gone. It just disappeared right before her eyes.” She said. “You think it could be a ghost ship?” she asked. “Alex thinks it could be a ghost ship.”

“Uh, could be.” Sam nodded.

“You let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you,” Gert whispered. She traced a finger slowly along Sam’s hand; Sam looked uncomfortable, Dean and Angela tried not to laugh. “Anything at all.”

~/~\~

Dean, Sam, and Angela walked along the docks. The water was crowded with pristine, moderately sized boats.

“What a crazy old broad,” Dean smirked.

“Why? Because she believes in ghosts?” Sam asked.

“Look at you,” Dean said. “Sticking up for your girlfriend. You cougar hound.”

Angela giggled. “Now Dean, let’s not tease him too much.”

“Bite me,” Sam mumbled.

“Not if she bites you first,” Dean smirked. “So, who’s this Alex? We got another player in town?”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Sam replied. “Doesn’t change our job.”

“And what looked like a ghost ship, right?” Dean asked.

“It’s not the first one sighted around here, either,” Angela said.

“Really?” Dean asked.

“Yeah.” She nodded. “Every 37 years, like clockwork, reports of a vanishing three-mast clipper ship out in the bay.” She said. “And every 37 years, a rash of weirdo, dry-land drownings.”

“So, whatever’s happening is just getting started,” Dean said.

“Yeah.” Sam nodded.

“What’s the lore?”

“Well, there are apparitions of old wrecks sighted all over the world,” Sam replied. “The S.S. Violet, the Griffin, the Flying Dutchman, almost all of them are death omens.”

“So, you see the ship and then a few hours later, you pucker up and kiss your ass goodbye?” Dean raised a brow.

“Basically.” Angela and Sam replied.

“What’s the next step?” Dean asked.

“We gotta I.D. the boat,” Sam said.

“That shouldn’t be too hard.” Dean shrugged. “I mean, how many three-mast clipper ships have wrecked off the coast?”

“We checked that too, actually,” Angela said. “Over 150.”

“Wow,” Dean said.

“Yeah.” Sam nodded.

“Crap,” Dean muttered. They approached an empty parking space; Dean looked around, confused. “This is where we parked the car, right?”

“I thought so,” Angela replied.

“Where’s my car?” Dean frowned.

“Did you feed the meter?” Sam asked.

“Yes, I fed the meter,” Dean replied. “Sam, Angie, where’s my car? Somebody stole my car!”

“Calm down,” Sam told Dean.

“I am calmed down!” Dean snapped. “Somebody stole my ca.." He began hyperventilating.

“Whoa. Dean. Hey, hey, hey. Take it easy.” Sam said as he and Angela ran over to Dean, pulling him up straight.

“Everything’s all right, we’ll find your car, just take it easy,” Angela said.

“The ’67 Impala? Was that yours?” Bela asked, sauntering up to them.

“Bela,” Sam practically groaned.

“I’m sorry. I had that car towed.”

“You what?!” Dean exclaimed.

“Well, it was in a tow-away zone.” She shrugged.

“No, it wasn’t!”

“It was when I finished with it.” She smirked.

“What the hell are you even doing here?” Dean asked.

“A little yachting.” She replied flippantly.

“You’re Alex,” Angela realized. “You’re working with that old lady.”

“Gert’s a dear old friend.”

“Yeah, right.” Dean nodded. “What’s your angle?”

“There’s no angle,” Bela replied. “There’s a lot of lovely old women like Gert up and down the eastern seaboard. I sell them charms, perform séances so they can commune with their dead cats.”

“And let me guess, it’s all a con,” Dean said.

“The comfort I provide them is very real.”

“How do you sleep at night?” Sam asked.

“On silk sheets, rolling naked in money.” She smirked. “Really, Sam. I’d expect that attitude from him, even Angie, but you?”

“You shot me!” Sam retorted.

“I barely grazed you.” She replied. “Cute. But a bit of a drama queen, yeah?” she said to Dean.

“You do know what’s going on around here,” Dean said. “This ghost-ship thing, it is real.”

“I’m aware.” She nodded. “Thanks for telling Gert the case wasn’t solved, by the way.”

“It isn’t,” Angela said.

“She didn’t know that,” Bela replied. “Now the old bag’s stopped payment and she’s demanding some real answers. Look… just stay out of my way before you cause any more trouble.” She said. “I’d get to that car if I were you… before they find the arsenal in the trunk.” She added, leaving.

“Can I shoot her?” Dean asked.

“Not in public,” Sam replied.

“That’s a shame,” Angela muttered.

~/~\~

The last victim’s house had become a crime scene. Bela, impersonating a reporter, was interviewing a distraught man who was the victim’s brother.

“No. Police said that he drowned, but I don’t u-understand how…” Mr. Warren said.

“I am so sorry for your loss, Mr. Warren,” Bela replied. “Now, if you could just tell me one more time about the ship your brother saw.”

Dean and Sam approached, wearing suits and Angela walked beside them in a fancy white suit jacket, a matching skirt, and black heels. They flashed their badges.

“Ma’am, I think this man’s been through quite enough,” Dean said. “You should go.”

“But I just have a few more questions.” Bela smiled.

“No, you don’t,” Angela replied.

“Thank you for your time,” Bela said to Mr. Warren.

“Sorry you had to deal with that. They’re like roaches.” Dean said.

“So, we heard you say your brother saw a ship,” Sam added.

“Yeah, that’s right.” Mr. Warren nodded.

“Did he tell you what it looked like?” Dean asked.

“It was, uh… like the old Yankee clippers.” Mr. Warren replied. “A smuggling vessel. The rakish topsail, a barkentine rigging. Angel figurehead on the bow.”

“That’s a lot of detail for a ship your brother saw,” Angela said.

“My brother and I were night diving. I saw the ship too.”

On the other side of the parking lot, Bela was talking to the real uniforms and pointed in Dean, Sam, and Angela’s direction. Sam noticed first and nudged Dean and Angela. They wrapped up.

“All right. We’ll be in touch.” Dean said.

“Thank you.” Sam and Angela added.

~/~\~

Dean, Sam, and Angela were loading shotguns at the trunk of the Impala. Bela approached from behind.

“I see you got your car back.”

“You really want to come near me when I got a loaded gun in my hands?” Dean asked.

“Now, now. Mind your blood pressure.” Bela replied. “Why are you even still here? You have enough to I.D. the boat.”

“That guy back there saw the ship,” Angela said.

“Yeah? And?” Bela raised a brow.

“And he’s going to die, so we have to save him,” Sam replied.

“How sweet.”

“You think this is funny?” Dean asked.

“He’s cannon fodder,” Bela said. “He can’t be saved in time, and you know it.”

“Yeah, well, see, we have souls, so we’re gonna try,” Dean replied.

“Well, I’m actually going to find the ship and put an end to this. But you have fun.”

“Hey, Bela, how’d you get like this, huh? What, did daddy not give you enough hugs or something?” Dean asked.

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Your daddy give you enough? Don’t you dare look down your nose at me. You’re not better than I am.”

“We help people,” Dean replied.

“Come on,” Bela said. “You do this out of vengeance and obsession. You’re a stone’s throw from being a serial killer. Whereas I, on the other hand, I get paid to do a job and I do it. So, you tell me, which is healthier?”

“Bela, why don’t you just leave?” Angela asked.

“We’ve got work to do,” Sam said.

“Yeah,” Bela replied. “You’re 0 for 2. Bang-up job so far.” She said, leaving.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela were staking out the home of Peter Warren. Sam was doing research.

“Anything good?” Angela asked.

“No, not really,” Sam replied. “I mean, both brothers are Duke University grads. No criminal record. I mean, a few speeding tickets. They inherited their father’s real estate fortune six years ago.”

“How much?” Dean asked.

“$112 million,” Sam said.

Dean whistled. “Nice life.”

“Yeah. I mean, nice, clean, aboveboard.” Sam said. “So why did they see the ship? Why Sheila, too? What do they all have in common?”

“Maybe nothing.” Dean shrugged.

“No,” Angela muttered. “There’s always something.”

“Hey, you!” Peter yelled, spotting them.

“I think we’ve been made,” Dean said.

They got out of the car and approached him.

“What are you guys doing?! You watching me?!”

“Sir, calm down. Please.” Sam said.

“You guys aren’t cops! Not dressed like that. Not, not in that crappy car.”

“Whoa, hey,” Dean replied. “No need to get nasty.”

“We are cops, okay?” Angela replied. “We’re undercover. We’re here because we think you’re in danger.”

“From who?!” Peter replied.

“If you just settle down, we’ll talk about it,” Sam said.

“Look, you guys just stay away from me!” Peter shouted.

“Wait,” Angela said.

“Hey, you moron!” Dean yelled. “We’re trying to help you!”

Peter ran to his car and got in, starting to drive off. Before he made it to the gate, the car shuddered and died.

“That can’t be good.” Dean frowned.

“No. Get the salt gun,” Sam said.

Dean ran back to the Impala as Sam and Angela dashed to help. Inside Peter’s car, a spirit dressed in old seaman’s clothes and navy coat, his long hair dripping into his eyes, appeared in the passenger’s seat. It turned to Peter and glared, then reached out to touch his cheek. Peter convulsed, choking on the water that spilled out of his mouth and struggled to get a breath. He scrambled for the door, which locked itself, and he slumped over. Sam and Angela arrived at the car.

“Peter!” Angela yelled.

Peter didn’t respond, but the spirit glared straight at Sam and Angela. Dean arrived on the other side and aimed the salt gun at the spirit.

“Sam! Angie!” Dean yelled.

They ducked as Dean fired. The spirit disappeared, and Sam yanked the door open. He pulled Peter back and checked for a pulse, but after a few seconds his shoulders slumped and he shook his head at Dean. Dean kicked the door in frustration, and Angela sighed, running a hand through her hair.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela were driving along in the Impala with the radio going, talking about the incoming weather.

Dean shut off the radio. “Do either of you wanna say it or should I?”

“What?” Sam and Angela asked.

“You can’t save everybody, guys,” Dean said.

“Yeah, right, so, so what, you feel better now or what?” Sam asked.

“No, not really.” Dean sighed.

“Neither do we,” Angela mumbled.

“You gotta understa—

“It’s just lately, I feel like I can’t save anybody,” Sam muttered.

~/~\~

Inside the house they were staying in, Sam and Angela were reading, and Dean was on his phone.

There was a knock at the door.

Dean checked the door and saw that it was Bela; Sam, Dean, and Angela shared a long look before Dean opened the door.

“Dear God, are you actually squatting?” Bela asked. There was a beat. “So how’d things go last night with Peter?” she asked. The three hunters didn’t respond. “That well, huh?” she raised a brow.

“If you say ‘I told you so’, I swear to God I’ll start swinging,” Dean said.

“Look, I think the four of us should have a heart to heart,” Bela suggested.

“That’s assuming that you have a heart,” Dean replied.

“Dean, please… I’m sorry about what I said before, ok? I come bearing gifts.”

“Such as?” Angela asked.

“I’ve ID’d the ship,” Bela replied. “It’s the Espirito Santo, a merchant sailing vessel, quite a colorful history. In 1859 a sailor was accused of treason. He was tried aboard the ship in a kangaroo court and hanged. He was 37.”

“Which would explain the 37-year cycle,” Sam said.

“Aren’t you a sharp tack?” Bela smiled. “I have a photo of him somewhere… here.”

“Isn’t that the customer we saw last night?” Dean asked.

“You saw him?”

“Yeah, that’s him, except he was missing a hand,” Angela said.

“His right hand?”

“How’d you know?” Sam asked.

“The sailor’s body was cremated, but not before they cut off his hand to make a hand of glory,” Bela replied.

“A hand of glory, I think I got one of those at the end of my Thai massage last week.” Dean laughed.

“Dean, the right hand of a hanged man is a serious cult object and is very powerful,” Angela said.

“So they say.” Bela nodded.

“And officially counts as remains,” Dean said.

“But still, none of this explains why the ghost is choosing these victims,” Sam said.

“I’ll tell you why, who cares. Find the hand, burn it, and stop the bloody thing.”

“I don’t get it. Why are you telling us all of this?” Dean replied.

“Because I know exactly where the hand is.”

“Where?” Dean asked.

“At the Sea Pines Museum. It’s a carp bit of maritime history. But I need help.”

“What kind of help?” Angela asked.

~/~\~

Later on, Bela was waiting in the living room of the house; no one else was around.

“What is taking so long?” Bela called. “Angela’s already there, and Sam’s already halfway there… with his date.”

“So not okay with this!” Dean replied.

“What are you, a woman? Come down already.”

Dean descended the stairs. “Alright, get it out, I look ridiculous.”

“Not exactly the word I’d use.” She smirked.

“What?”

“You know, when this is over, we should really have angry sex,” Bela suggested.

Dean paused. “Don’t objectify me.” He replied. “Let’s go.”

~/~\~

Dean and Bela pulled into the museum parking lot in the Impala.

There were murmurs from the black-tie gathering.

“Are you chewing gum?” Bela asked. “Try to behave as if you’ve lived this life before, yeah?”

“This’ll get their tongues wagging, hey my Adonis,” Gert said.

“Just remember, we’re on business,” Sam replied. He looked around and spotted Angela who was standing with Dean and Bela. “Wow…” he breathed.

Angela was wearing a one-shoulder black evening dress that was open thigh and had an embellished circle strap and asymmetrical neckline. To go with it she was wearing open-toed black heels and simple stud earrings. Her hair fell in large, loose curls, and her makeup was simple, yet elegant.

“Ohhhh, but sometimes business can be pleasure, hmm?” Gert asked, not noticing his sort of trance-like state.

“Right.” Sam nodded. “You know, could you excuse me for a moment?” he asked. “Thanks.” He walked over the Angela, Bela, and Dean. “Exactly how long do you expect me to entertain my date?”

“As long as it takes,” Bela replied.

“Look, there’s security all over this place, alright,” Dean said. “This is an uncrashable party without Gert’s invitation, so…”

“We can crash anything, Dean,” Sam said.

“Yeah, I know, but this is easier and it’s a lot more entertaining.”

“You know there are limits to what I’ll do, right?” Sam replied.

“Ohhh, he’s playing hard to get, that’s cute. Come on.” Dean sighed. “I want all the details in the morning!”

“Thank you.” Bela smiled.

Angela smiled up at Sam. “You look really nice by the way, Sam.” 

He smiled slightly. “Thanks.” He replied. “You uh, you look great. Amazing, really.”

“Really? Well, thank you.” She murmured. She glanced at Gert, and smiled sympathetically at Sam. “See you later, Sam.” She waved as she walked to the dance floor to dance with the date she’d been set up with.

“To us,” Gert said, holding up a glass of champagne.

~/~\~

“Private security?” Bela asked.

“I don’t think so, look at the way they’re standing, they’re pros,” Dean muttered. “Probably state troopers in mood lighting.”

“Posted at every door, too.”

“Yeah, I don’t think we’re just going to be able to waltz upstairs.”

“What do you suggest?”

“I’m thinking,” Dean said.

“Don’t strain yourself,” Bela replied. “Interesting how the legend is so much more than the man.”

“You got any bright ideas, I’m all ears.”

“Okay.” She replied. Bela groaned and fell to the floor. Dean knelt down next to her.

“Honey, honey, are you alright? Waiter, my wife has a severe shellfish allergy. There’s no crab in that?”

“No, sir.” The waiter replied.

Dean took a cake. “They’re excellent, by the way.”

“What seems to be the trouble?” a guard asked.

“Ahhh, champagne, my wife, she’s a lightweight when it comes to the sauce. Is there somewhere I can lay her down till she gets her sea legs back?”

“Follow me.”

“Right. Thank you. Come on, you lush.” Dean said. Dean groaned as he lifted Bela up. “You think she’s a pain in the ass now, try living with her. Thank you very much.” He told the guard. “Maybe next time give me a little heads up with your plan?” he asked Bela.

“I didn’t want you thinking, you’re not very good at that.”

Dean sighed.

“Oh, look at you searching for a witty rejoinder.”

“Screw you,” Dean said.

“Very Oscar Wilde,” Bela replied. “Room 235, it’s in a locked glass case wired for alarm, I’m sure that won’t be a problem.”

“I’m sure that won’t be a problem.” Dean mimicked.

~/~\~

“Where’s Alex and your friend?” Gert asked. “They’re missing a great party.”

“Umm, ah, I’m sure they’re entertaining themselves,” Sam replied.

“Oooh, naughty,” Gert smirked. “Then I guess we’ll just have to entertain ourselves as well.”

Sam swallowed thickly and glanced around, spotting Angela, who was dancing. He sighed and looked back at Gert. “Whoa…” he muttered. Gert giggled. “You know, Mrs. Case,” Gert ooo’ed. “I’m sorry, Ms. Case… I don’t wanna give you the wrong idea.”

“Call me Gert.”

Sam made an awkward noise. “Okay.”

“You remind me of my late husband… he was shy too, till we got below deck.” She smirked, grabbing at Sam’s butt.

“Whoa!” Sam said.

“Mmmm, you’re just firm all over, ooh, mmm.”

~/~\~

Dean was upstairs retrieving the hand of glory.

~/~\~

Bela was moving around in a different room. There was a knock on the door.

“Sir? Ma’am? Everything alright?” the guard asked.

Bela answered the door clutching at her dress. “Hi.”

“Feeling better, I see.”

“Yes, much, thank you.” Bela smiled.

“So, if you’re done with the room…”

“Well… not exactly, could we have a few more minutes?”

“Uhhh, yes ma’am.”

Bela closed the door and giggled.

“Oh sorry, ssss’uh... nature called,” Dean said.

“Uh-huh.” The guard nodded.

“Thanks for looking after my wife.”

“Oh, she’s being looked after alright.” The guard muttered.

“Any trouble?” Dean asked.

“Nothing I couldn’t handle. The hand, may I?”

“No,” Dean said.

“It might be more inconspicuous in my purse.” She tried.

“Nice try.”

“Just trying to be helpful.”

“Well, sweetheart, I don’t need your kind of help.”

~/~\~

“Man, this is one long song,” Sam muttered. He glanced at Angela, and mouthed ‘Help me.’

Angela just smiled sympathetically and mouthed ‘Sorry, Sam. Wish I could.’

Gert breathed deeply. “I hope it never ends. How’s the investigation going?”

“These things take time.” Sam sighed.

“People are talking about the Warren brothers’ deaths. Strange.” She said. “Do you think it’s connected to Sheila’s?”

“Yeah, yeah, we think so.”

“I think they had it coming, you know. In a biblical sort of way.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know about their father?”

“No?”

“Come here, I’ll whisper it to you.” She replied, pulling him close. “People say that the old man didn’t die of natural causes.”

“Then how?”

“Rumor is the boys did it. Nothing was ever proven, but people still whisper.”

“Okay, okay. So… did Sheila have any connection to them?”

“None that I know of.”

“Did Sheila have any kind of tragedy in her life?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, there was a… car accident when she was a teenager.”

“What happened?”

“Her car flipped over, she was okay but her cousin Brian was killed. Why, is that important?”

“Well, having a nice time?” Bela smiled.

“He’s delightful… he wants me!”

Angela managed to walk over to the group.

“I’m going to get Gert into a cold shower,” Bela told the three hunters. “See you at the cemetery.”

“You stink like sex,” Dean told Sam.

Angela smiled softly and took Sam’s hand. “To be honest, I would have preferred to dance with you.”

Sam smiled down at her. “Really?” 

She nodded, her smile growing. “Yeah.” 

“Alright, lovebirds.” Dean cut in. “Let’s go.”

~/~\~

“You got it right? Tell me I didn’t get groped all night by Mrs. Havisham for nothing.” Sam said.

“I got it… Mrs. Who?” Dean asked.

“Never mind, just let us see it,” Sam said. “What?”

Dean took a ship bottle out of his jacket pocket. “I’m gonna kill her.”


	12. Red Sky at Morning Part 2

The house Sam, Dean, and Angela were squatting in was lit by candles.

“You know what, you’re right,” Dean started. “I’m not gonna kill her. I think slow torture is the way to go.”

“Dean, look, you gotta relax,” Angela replied.

“Relax, oh yeah, yeah, I’ll relax.” Dean nodded. “I can’t believe she got another one over on us.”

“You.” Sam corrected.

“What?”

“I… I mean she got one over on _you_ , not us.” Sam shrugged.

“Thank you, Sam, Very helpful,” Dean replied loudly and sarcastically.

There was anxious knocking at the door. “Hello, could you open up?” Bela asked and Dean opened the door. “Just let me explain… I sold it, I’ve had a buyer lined up since I knew it existed.”

“So the whole reason for us going to the Charity Ball was…?” Angela asked.

“I needed a cover.” Bela shrugged. “You were convenient.”

“Look, you sold it to a buyer, just go but it back,” Sam said.

“It’s halfway across the ocean. I can’t get it back in time.”

“In time for what?” Dean asked.

“What’s going on with you, Bela?” Sam asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I saw the ship,” Bela said.

“You what?” Dean asked. “Wow, you know, I knew you were an immoral thieving con artist bitch but just when I thought my opinion of you couldn’t get any lower—

“What are you talking about?”

“We figured out the spirit’s motive,” Angela replied and she showed Bela a photograph. “This is the captain of our ship. The one who hung our ghost boy.”

“So?” Bela asked.

“So they were brothers.” Sam continued. “Very Cain and Abel. So now our spirit, he’s going after a very specific kind of target, people who’ve spilled their own family’s blood. See first there was Sheila who killed her cousin in a car accident, and the Warren brothers, who murdered their father for the inheritance, and now you.”

“My God,” Bela whispered.

“So who was it, Bela? Hmmm?” Dean asked. “Who’d you kill? Was it daddy? Little sis, maybe?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“No, you’re right.” Dean nodded. “Well, have a nice life, you know, whatever’s left of it. Sam, Angie, let’s go.”

“You can’t just leave me here.”

“Watch us.”

“Please. I need your help.”

“Our help?” Dean asked. “Now how could a couple of serial killers possibly help you?”

“Okay, that was a bit harsh, I admit it, but it doesn’t warrant a death sentence.”

“That’s not why you’re gonna die.” Angela murmured. “What did you do, Bela?”

“You wouldn’t understand, no one did,” Bela replied. “Never mind, I’ll just do what I’ve always done, I’ll deal with it myself.”

“You do realize you just sold the one thing that could save your life,” Dean said.

“I’m aware.”

“But, maybe not the only thing,” Sam said.

~/~\~

Angela was setting up a kind of sacrificial circle in the graveyard.

“Do you really think this is going to work?” Bela asked.

“Almost definitely not,” Dean answered.

An angry storm started and thunder boomed.

“Sammy, Angie, you better start reading,” Dean told them.

“Aziel, Castiel, Lamisniel, Rabam…” Sam and Angela started reading.

“Stay close!” Dean yelled.

“Behind you!” Bela shouted.

Dean groaned. A gunshot was fired as Dean was thrown through the air.

Bela began coughing up water, Dean came to her aid.

“Sammy, Angie, read faster!” Dean yelled.

“You… hanged me.” The sailor’s ghost said.

“I’m sorry.” The sailor’s brother said sincerely.

“Your own brother.” The sailor’s ghost glared.

“I’m so sorry.” His brother repeated. He screamed.

The two ghosts charged at one another.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela were packing, getting ready to leave their squatted residency.

The door opened and Bela walked in. “You three should learn to lock your doors. Anyone could just barge in.”

“Anyone just did,” Angela retorted. “Have you come to say goodbye or thank you?”

“I’ve come to settle affairs,” Bela said. “Giving the spirit what he really wanted, his own brother, very clever, you two.” She said to Sam and Angela. “So here.” She handed them each ten grand. “It’s ten thousand, that should cover it. I don’t like being in anyone’s debt.”

“So ponying up ten grand is easier for you than a simple thank you?” Dean asked. “You are _so_ damaged.”

“Takes one to know one,” Bela smirked. “Goodbye lads. Angie.”

“She’s got style, you gotta give her that,” Sam said.

Angela nodded. “Yeah, I’ll admit to it.”

“I suppose,” Dean said.

“You know, guys, we don’t know where this money’s been,” Sam added.

“No, but I know where it’s going…” Dean grinned.

~/~\~

Later on in the Impala, Sam was looking at a map, Angela was fast asleep and Dean was driving.

“Seriously, Atlantic City?” Sam raised a brow.

“Hell yeah, play some roulette. Always bet on black.” Dean nodded. “Hey listen, I’ve been doing some thinking. Um, I want you to know I understand why you went after the crossroads demon.” Dean said. Sam sighed. “And if the situation was reversed I guess I’d done the same thing. I mean I’m not blind, I see what you and Angie are going through with this whole deal, me going away and all that. But you two are gonna be okay.”

Sam glanced at Angela. “You think so.”

“Yeah, you’ll keep hunting, y’know, you live your life.” Dean nodded. He looked back at Angela. “You two’ll get together. You two are stronger than me, you are.” Sam cleared his throat. “You are… you two’ll get over it. But I want you to know I’m sorry, I’m sorry for… putting you two through all this, I am.”

“You know what, Dean, go screw yourself,” Sam said.

“What?” Dean asked, a bit taken aback.

“I don’t want an apology from you, and I don’t think Angie would either, and by the way, we’re big kids, we can take care of ourselves.”

“Oh, well, excuse me.”

“So will you please quit worrying about us? I mean that’s the whole problem in the first place. I don’t want you to worry about us, Dean, I want you to worry about you.”

Angela had woken up and leaned over to look at Dean. “Sam’s right, Dean, you need to worry more about yourself, Sam and I are adults.”

Sam nodded. “We want you to give a crap that you’re dying!” Sam yelled. Dean said nothing. “So, what, that’s it? Nothing else to say for you?”

“I think maybe I’ll play craps.” Dean nodded.

Sam sighed and Angela frowned, leaning back.


	13. Fresh Blood Part 1

Sam, Dean, and Angela found a man lying bleeding but conscious on the ground. 

“Hey, hey,” Sam said. “Don’t worry. We’re gonna call you some help, okay?”

“Everything’s gonna be just fine, I promise you,” Angela added.

“Where is she? Where’d she go?!” Dean questioned the man.

The man gestured vaguely down the alley. Sam and Angela stayed with the man as Dean ran off in that direction. He stopped in the middle of an open space, raised his machete, and slowly drew it across his left forearm, drawing blood. He held the bleeding arm up.

“Smell that?!” he yelled. “Come and get it!”

A young woman emerged from a side alley and stared at him; her chin was covered in blood.

“That’s right.” Dean nodded. “Come on. I smell good, don’t I?” he asked. “I taste even better.” He said. The vampire approached cautiously, he dropped the machete. “Come on! Free lunch!”

The vampire charged; as she grabbed him and sunk her teeth into his neck, Dean whipped out a syringe and plunged it into her neck. She convulsed and fell to the ground, unconscious. Sam and Angela came running, frowning at Dean.

“What?” Dean asked them.

“Cutting it a little close, don’t you think?” Sam asked.

Angela nodded in agreement. “Gotta be more careful, Dean.”

“Ah, that’s just chum in the water,” Dean replied. “Worked, didn’t it?”

~/~\~

The motel they were occupying was dingier than usual rooms; old mattresses lined the walls, blocking out all external light. The vampire was tied to a chair in the middle of the room; Sam, Dean, and Angela circled her.

“You with us?” Dean asked. She woke up fully, struggling against her bonds. “Oh, yeah, sorry. You’re not going anywhere.”

“Where’s your nest?” Sam asked.

“What?” the vampire frowned.

“Your nest… where you and your bloodsucking pals hang out.” Dean said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She replied. “Please! I don’t feel good.”

“Yeah, well, you’re gonna feel a hell of a lot worse if we give you another shot of dead man’s blood,” Angela said.

“Just let me go.” The girl begged.

“Yeah, you know we can’t do that,” Dean replied.

“I’m telling you the truth.” She sobbed. “I’m just… I took something. I’m freaking out! I don’t know what’s going on!”

Angela frowned. “You took something?” 

The vampire was freaking out. “Yes! I can’t… come down. I just want to come down.”

“What’s your name?” Sam asked.

“Lucy.” She replied. “Please, just let me go.”

“All right, Lucy, how about this?” Angela asked softly. “If you tell us what happened, we’ll let you go.”

“You will?” she asked. She looked at Dean, who nodded, then shot Angela and Sam a confused look over her head. “Uh, I don’t really… um, it’s not that clear,” Lucy said. “I was at Spider.”

“Spider?” Sam asked.

“The club on Jefferson. And there was this guy… he was buying me drinks.”

“This guy… what’s he look like?” Sam asked.

“He was old, like thirty,” Lucy replied. “He had brown hair, a leather jacket… Deacon or Dixon or something. Said he was a dealer… he had something for me.”

“Something?” Angela asked.

“Something new. ‘Better than anything you’ve ever tried.’ He put a few drops in my drink.”

“Was the drug red and thick?” Dean asked. She nodded. “Well, genius move there. That was vampire blood he dosed you with.”

“What?” Lucy asked.

“You just took a big shot of the nastiest virus out there,” Dean said.

“You’re crazy!” she yelled. “He gave me roofies or something! No… the next thing I know, we’re at his place, and he says he’s gonna get me something to eat, just wait. But I get so hungry.”

“So you busted out?” Dean asked.

She nodded. “But it won’t wear off… whatever he gave me?”

“Lights are too bright? Sunshine hurt your skin?”

“Yeah… and smells. And I can… hear blood pumping.”

“I hate to tell you this, sweetheart, but your blood’s never pumping again.”

“Not mine… yours,” Lucy said. “I can hear a heart beating from half a block away. I just want it to stop.”

“It’s not going to stop. You’ve already killed two people… almost three.”

“No, I couldn’t. I was hallucinating!”

“You killed them, all right? We’ve been following a sloppy trail of corpses, and it leads straight to you.”

“No, No, it wasn’t real! It was the drug! Please! Please, you have to help me!”

Sam jerked his head at Dean and Angela, they all got up to leave.

“No, no.” Lucy shook her head.

“Poor girl.” Angela murmured in the next room.

“We don’t have a choice,” Dean replied.

Sam and Angela nodded. Dean took his machete back in the room.

“No… please!”

Both Angela and Sam flinched as they watched Dean decapitate Lucy.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela exited Spider, a club with red lights and beautiful young people drinking things. They looked frustrated.

“That was a big, fat waste of time,” Dean said.

“Look, three blondes have gone missing, including Lucy, all last sighted here,” Angela said. “I’m telling you, Dean, this is the hunting ground.”

Across the way, Dean saw a 30-something man duck into an alley with his arm around a young blonde.

“Hey,” Dean said, pointing them out to Sam and Angela.

~/~\~

In the alley across from the club, the man held up a dropped full of red liquid, and the girl giggled.

“You’re sick.” She grinned.

“You ready, sweetie? One taste of this, you’ll never be the same.” He said.

He raised the dropper; she opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out to catch the drops. Before any could fall in, Dean grabbed the man’s arm, pulled it down, and clocked him in the face. Angela pulled the girl away and Sam shoved her towards the mouth of the alley.

“Get out of here. Go! Go!” Sam yelled.

The vampire hurled Dean into a brick wall, then took off at a run. Sam and Angela went over and helped Dean up.

“Dean!” Sam and Angela yelled.

“I’m good. Come on.” Dean said.

They took off after the vampire; as they hurtled around the corner, the vampire was nowhere in sight. But facing them, guns at their sides, were Gordon and Kubrick. Gordon raised his gun.

~/~\~

Gordon and Kubrick advanced, firing freely. Sam, Dean, and Angela dove behind parked cars and managed to entirely avoid getting shot. They ducked behind a wall and crouched, waiting. Gordon and Kubrick reloaded.

“All right. Run. I’ll draw them off.” Dean said.

“Dean, no, that’s insane,” Angela said.

“What?! You’re crazy!” Sam agreed.

Ignoring them Dean darted out into the line of fire, leaped on top of a car, and used it to get over a second-story parking lot entrance. Kubrick followed him; Gordon stayed behind and headed for where Sam and Angela had been hiding. As he rounded a corner, a figure leaped down on him from above, sending him sprawling: it was the vampire. He kicked Gordon in the face several times and knocked him out.

~/~\~

Sam was pacing around the room, worried. Angela sat on a chair, anxiously tapping her foot. Dean entered.

Angela let out a relieved breath. “Thank God.”

“There you are!” Sam yelled.

“Yeah. Sorry, I stopped for a slice.” Dean replied, unconcerned.

“Nice move you pulled back there, Dean, running right at the weapons,” Sam said.

“Well, what can I say? I’m a badass.” He shrugged. Dean ignored the worried faces of Sam and Angela. “So, I guess Gordon’s out of jail.”

“Uh, yeah, I guess so,” Angela said. “You know, how the hell did he know where to find us?”

The realization hit Dean. “That bitch.” He growled. He pulled out his phone and dialed. “Hi, Bela.”

 _“Hello, Dean.”_ She replied.

“Question for you. When you called me yesterday, it wasn’t to thank me for saving your ass, was it?”

 _“Gordon Walker paid me to tell him where you were.”_ She replied.

“Excuse me?”

 _“Well, he had a gun on me.”_ She shrugged. _“What else was I supposed to do?”_

“I don’t know, maybe pick up the phone and tell us that a raging psychopath was dropping by!”

_“I did fully intend to call. I just got a bit sidetracked.”_

“He tried to kill us!”

_“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was such a big deal. After all, there are three of you and one of him.”_

“There were two of them,” Dean said. “Bela, if we make it out of this alive, the first thing I’m gonna do is kill you.”

_“You’re not serious.”_

“Listen to my voice and tell me if I’m serious.”

~/~\~

Dean sharpened his machete on a sharpening stone while Sam and Angela cleaned their guns.

“That vampire’s still out there, Dean,” Angela said.

“First things first,” Dean said.

“Gordon,” Sam replied.

“About that,” Dean added. “When we find him, or if he finds us… I’m just saying he’s not leaving us a whole lot of options.”

“Yeah, we know,” Angela said calmly.

“We’ve got to kill him.” Sam continued.

“Really? Just like that?” Dean asked. “I thought you guys would have been like,” he paused. “No, we can’t. He’s human, it’s wrong’” he said in a mock-whiny voice.

“No, we’re done.” Angela shrugged. “Gordon’s not gonna stop until we’re dead… or till he is.”

Dean’s cell phone rang; he looked at it, scowled, and picked it up angrily. “What?!”

Bela was still driving. _“I don’t like it when people hold grudges against me, and more to the point, I’d rather you didn’t kill me, so I went ahead and found Gordon’s exact location for you.”_

“You’re a hundred miles away. How the hell did you…”

_“Hello? Purveyor of powerful occult objects? I used a talking board to contact the other side.”_

“And?”

_“Warehouse. Two stories, riverfront, neon sign outside.”_

“Thanks.”

_“One more thing. The spirit had a message for you. ‘Leave town, run like hell, and whatever you do, don’t go after Gordon.’ For whatever that’s worth.”_

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela crept down the steps into the room where Gordon had been held. The bodies of the girls were still hanging, headless, and the vampire was kneeling in front of them. Dean took a knife from the table and approached him slowly; he heard Dean coming but didn’t move.

“Go ahead. Do it. Kill me.” The vampire said.

“What happened here?” Angela asked.

“Gordon Walker.” He replied. “I never should have brought a hunter here. Never. I just… I just wanted some kind of revenge. Stupid… exposing him to my family.”

“Oh, yeah, you’re such a family man.” Dean nodded.

“You don’t understand.”

“I don’t want to understand, you son of—

“I was desperate. You ever felt desperate? I’ve lost everyone I ever loved.” He replied. “I’m staring down eternity alone. Can you think of a worse hell?”

“Well, there’s hell,” Dean replied.

“I wasn’t thinking. I just, I didn’t care anymore. Do you know what it’s like when you just don’t give a damn? It’s like… it’s like being dead already. So just go ahead. Do it.”

Sam and Angela were inspecting the headless bodies.

“Dean. Head wasn’t cut off, it was ripped off.” Angela frowned.

“With someone’s bare hands.” Sam continued. “Dixon, what did you do to Gordon?”

~/~\~

Dean entered the room, frustrated, and removed his jacket. Sam and Angela were seated at the table, poring over maps.

“Man, I must have checked three dozen motels, empty buildings, warehouses,” Dean said.

“Yeah, us too,” Sam muttered. “Big city.”

Dean washed his face in the sink. “It’s like a giant haystack, and Gordon’s a deadly needle,” Dean replied. “We’re running out of daylight. Won’t have the sun slowing him down.”

“Yeah, he’ll be unstoppable,” Angela replied. “Hey, give me your phone.”

“What for?”

She pulled the SIM cards from her, Sam, and Dean’s phones. “Well, if Gordon knows our cell numbers he can use the cell signal to track us down.”

“Clever.” Sam smiled at her.

“Oh, yeah, thanks.” Dean nodded.

Sam stomped on all three phones as Dean looked out the curtains. Dean walked back with a sense of purpose.

“Sammy, Angie, stay here.”

“What? Where you going now?” Sam asked.

Dean pulled the Colt out of his bag, checking it. “I’m going after Gordon.”

“What?” Angela asked.

“You heard me,” Dean replied.

“Not alone, you’re not,” Sam said.

“Sam, I don’t need you two to sign me a permission slip, okay? He’s after you guys, not me, and he’s turbocharged. I want you guys to stay out of harm’s way. I’ll take care of it.”

“You’re not going by yourself, you’re gonna get killed.” Angela protested.

“Just another day at the office.” Dean shrugged. “It’s a massively dangerous day at the office.”

“So you’re the guy with nothing to lose now, huh?” Sam asked. “Oh wait, let me guess. Because, uh, it’s because you’re already dead, right?”

“If the shoe fits.”

“You know what, man? I’m sick and tired of your kamikaze trip. And Angie is too.”

“Whoa, whoa, kamikaze? I’m more like a ninja.”

“That’s not funny.” Angela sighed.

“It’s a little funny,” Dean replied.

“No, it’s not,” Sam said.

“What do you want me to do, guys? Sit around all day writing sad poems about how I’m gonna die? You know what? I got one. Let’s see, what rhymes with ‘shut up, Sam’?”

“Dude, drop the attitude, Dean,” Sam said. “Quite turning everything into a punch line. And you know something else? Stop trying to act like you’re not afraid.”

“I’m not!”

“You’re lying,” Angela whispered.

“You may as well drop it ‘cause I can see right through you,” Sam added.

“You got no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, I do.” Sam nodded. “You’re scared, Dean. You’re scared because your year is running out, and you’re still going to hell, and you’re freaked.”

“And how do you know that?”

“Because I know you!”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’ve been following you around my entire life!” Sam replied. “I mean, I’ve been looking up to you since I was four, Dean. Studying you, trying to be just like my big brother. So yeah, I know you. Better than anyone else in the entire world. And this is exactly how you act when you’re terrified. And, I mean, I can’t blame you. It’s just…”

“What?”

“I wish you would drop the show and be my brother again. ‘Cause… just ‘cause.”

“All right, we’ll hole up, cover our scent so he can’t track us, and wait the night out here.”

~/~\~

Later, Dean and Angela barricaded the doors and windows as Sam lit incense.

Dean’s phone rang.

“You’ve had the phone for two hours, Dean.” Angela frowned. “Who’d you give the number to?”

“Nobody.” He replied, picking up. “Hello?”

 _“Dean,”_ Gordon said.

“How’d you get this number?”

_“Your scent’s all over the cellphone store. Of course, I can’t smell you now. Where are you?”_

“I guess you’ll just have to find us.”

_“I’d rather you come to me.”_

“What’s the matter, Gordo? You’re not afraid of us, are you? We’re just sitting here. Bring it on!”

 _“I don’t think so,”_ Gordon replied. He held the phone in front of the girl who was his hostage.

“Please. Please.” The girl sobbed.

He took the phone back, shushing her. _“Factory on riverside off the turnpike. Be here in 20 minutes or the girl dies.”_

“Gordon, let the girl go.”

_“Bye, Dean.”_

“Gordon! Don’t do this. You don’t kill innocent people. You’re still a hunter.”

_“No. I’m a monster.”_


	14. Fresh Blood Part 2

Dean, Sam, and Angela found the hostage and untied her.

“Hey, we got you,” Angela whispered. “We’re gonna get you out of here.”

Sam helped her up. “Get up. Watch your head. Watch your head.”

The girl was sobbing and could barely walk, so Dean slung her arm over his shoulders and picked her up. “Sam, Angie, stay close.”

Sam and Angela followed Dean and the girl closely, but not closely enough: a mechanized door suddenly slid down in front of Sam and Angela, cutting them off from the others. The three of them both pounded and kicked at the door, to no avail.

“Sam! Angela!” Dean yelled.

“Dean!” Sam and Angela shouted.

“Dammit, guys!” Dean yelled.

Sam pounded the door one last time in frustration, then he and Angela turned and walked away from it, eyes darting around. Then the lights went out. They froze, Sam brought his machete up, and Angela moved to place a hand on her knife. They started creeping around, getting split up in the process.

“Gordon… you got us where you want us. You might as well come out and fight!” Angela said.

He appeared behind her. “I’m right here, Angela. What’s the matter, Angie?”

“So, this is really the way you want to do it, huh?” Sam asked from somewhere in the room.

“Damn right I do. You have no idea what I faced to get here. I lost everything. My life. But it’s worth it, ‘cause I’m finally gonna kill the most dangerous things I ever hunted. You two aren’t human, Sam.”

“Look who’s talking,” Angie muttered as she walked around, bumping into Sam.

“You’re right. I’m a bloodthirsty killer.”

“Don’t talk about it like you don’t have a choice,” Sam replied, keeping Angela close.

“I don’t.”

“Yes you do, Gordon,” Angela said. “You didn’t kill that girl.”

“No, I didn’t. I did something much, much worse.”

~/~\~

Meanwhile, on the other side of the door, Dean was still hacking away. As he tossed the tool away in frustration, the girl vamped out and attacked, knocking him to the ground. Dean dug in his pocket and pulled out the Colt, and fired a single bullet into her forehead. She convulsed, energy crackling, and slumped to the floor.

~/~\~

Meanwhile, Sam and Angela were still feeling around blindly as Gordon taunted them.

“I got to hand it to you two. You got a lot of people fooled.” Gordon said. “But see, I know the truth. I know what it’s like. We’re the same now, you two and me. I know how it is walking around with something evil inside you. It’s just too bad you guys won’t do the right thing and kill yourselves. I’m gonna… as soon as I’m done with you two. Two last good deeds. Killing you two, and killing myself.”

Gordon attacked, sending the three of them flying through the wall separating them from Dean. Angela slid across the ground roughly, causing her to lose the knife, and Sam and Gordon struggled as Gordon knocked away Sam’s machete. Gordon picked Sam and flung him across the room. Dean came up behind him and pointed the Colt at Gordon’s head, but Gordon was too fast for him; he stopped Dean’s gun-arm, flung him across the room, then pinned him against the wall and sunk his teeth into Dean's neck. Sam and Angela picked themselves up in time to see it.

“Dean!” Angela yelled.

“No!” Sam shouted.

They ran and Sam charged Gordon and closed him across the back of the neck. Gordon turned away and knocked Sam down, then slammed him across the worktable. Angela held Dean up and inspected the bite wound. Sam managed to grab a piece of cloth and an end of razor wire in each hand; as Gordon pinned him down again Sam wrapped the razor wire around Gordon’s neck and pulled. Gordon began to choke out a death-rattle, and Sam glared, gritted his teeth, and pulled harder. Blood dripped from his hands where the razor wire was cutting in, and yet he pulled harder until he cut all the way through Gordon’s neck and sent his head tumbling. He panted from the effort, stared down at Gordon’s head on the ground, and examined his bloody hands. Angela pulled away from Dean, wide-eyed, who was clutching his neck in pain. He was still holding the Colt. He looked down in surprise at the headless Gordon, then back up at Sam, who shrugged. The three stumbled off together, neither of them moving very well.

“Holy crap, Sam…” Angela breathed, moving a strand of hair from her face.

“You just charged a super-vamped-out Gordon with no weapon,” Dean said. “That’s a little reckless, don’t you think?”

~/~\~

Dean was under the hood of the Impala, poking at something, and Angela was leaning against the side of the Impala. Sam opened a cooler and pulled out three beers, then shut the lid and sat on it. He opened two bottles and passed them to Dean and Angela.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks,” Dean said.

“Thanks, Sam.” Angela smiled.

“Figure out what’s making that rattle?”

“Not yet. Give me a box wrench, would you?”

“Yeah. There you go.” Sam said.

“Thanks,” Dean replied. He took the wrench, then looked thoughtful. “Sam.”

“Wrong one?”

“No, come here for a second. Angie, you too.”

They both walked over and leaned over the hood with Dean.

“Yeah,” Sam said.

“This rattle could be a couple of things. I’m thinking it’s an out-of-tune carb.” Dean gestured.

“Okay.” Sam and Angela replied, confused.

“All right, see this thing? It’s a valve cover. Inside are all the parts that are on the head. Hand me that socket wrench.” Dean replied. Angela handed it to him. “All right, you two with me so far?”

“Yeah, uh, valve cover covers the heads.” Sam nodded.

“Very good. This is your intake manifold, and on top of it?” Dean paused.

Sam smiled fondly as if he was remembering something. “It’s, uh, a carburetor.”

“Carburetor… very good. Angie, ya listening?” Dean smiled slightly.

“Yeah, yeah.” She murmured, realizing what was going on.

“So what’s with the auto shop?” Sam asked, realizing the same time as Angela.

Dean held out the socket wrench.

“You don’t mean you want…” Angela started.

“Yeah, I do.” Dean nodded. “You two fix it.”

“Dean, you barely let me drive this thing. You’ve never let Angie drive it.” Sam said.

“Well, it’s time. And Angie’s family now.” Dean replied. “You two should know how to fix it. You’re gonna need to know these for the future. And besides, that’s my job, right? Show my little brother and his girlfriend the ropes?”

Sam and Angela nodded. Sam took the wrench, leaned in, and started unscrewing, Angela helping. Dean sat on the cooler and turned slightly to watch them.

“Put your shoulder into it.” He said, smiling slightly at the two.


	15. A Very Supernatural Christmas Part 1

A girl was looking outside through the glass door and a woman stood outside, being interviewed.

“Um, my daughter and I were in our beds.” She said. “Mike was downstairs decorating the tree. I heard a thump in the room and then I heard Mike scream, and now I’m talking to the FBI.”

“And you didn’t see any of it?” Dean asked.

“No, he was… he was just gone.”

“The doors were locked? There was no forced entry?” Angela raised a brow.

“That’s right.” The woman nodded.

“Does anybody else have a key?” Angela asked.

“My parents.”

“Where do they live?” Dean asked.

“Florida.”

Sam walked out of the house.

“Thanks for letting me have a look around, Mrs. Walsh,” Sam said. “I think we, uh, got just about everything we need. We’re all set.”

“We’ll be in touch,” Angela said.

Mrs. Walsh nodded. Dean, Sam, and Angela walked down the steps.

“Agents…” Mrs. Walsh said.

They turned around.

“The police said my husband might have been kidnapped.”

“Could be.” Dean nodded.

“Then why haven’t the kidnappers called? O-or, or demanded a ransom?” she asked. “It’s three days until Christmas. What am I supposed to tell our daughter?”

“We’re very sorry,” Sam replied.

They walked away and Mrs. Walsh turned to go inside.

“Find anything?” Angela asked.

Sam sighed. “Stocking, mistletoe… this,” Sam replied, giving her a tooth out of his pocket.

“A tooth?” Dean frowned. “Where was this?” he asked, taking the tooth and examining it.

“In the chimney,” Sam replied.

“Chimney?” Dean raised a brow. “No way a man fits up a chimney. It’s too narrow.”

“No way he fits up in one piece.” Sam corrected.

“Alright, so, if dad went up the chimney—

“We need to find out what dragged him up there.” Sam continued.

~/~\~

Pictures of demons were pinned up on the wall. Sam was searching the internet for information about demons. The door opened and Dean and Angela walked inside, Angela carrying a brown paper bag.

“So, were we right? Is it the serial-killing chimney sweep?” Dean asked.

“Yep. It’s, uh, it’s actually Dick Van Dyke.” Sam replied.

“Who?”

“Mary Poppins,” Angela said.

“Who’s that?” Dean looked at her.

“Oh come on,” Sam started. “Never mind.” He waved his hand.

“It turns out that Walsh is the second guy in town grabbed out of his house this month,” Dean said.

“Oh yeah?” Sam asked.

“Yeah,” Angela said.

“The other guy get dragged up the chimney, too?”

“Don’t know,” Dean replied. “Witnesses said they heard a thump on the roof. So, what the hell do you think we’re dealing with?”

“Actually, I have an idea,” Sam said.

“Yeah?” Dean asked.

“Uh, it’s gonna sound crazy.”

Angela smiled. “What could you possibly say that sounds crazy to us?”

“Um… evil Santa.” He smiled back at her.

She paused and then nodded. “Yeah, that’s crazy.”

“Yeah… I mean, I’m just saying that there’s some version of the anti-Claus in every culture.” Sam replied. He showed them some evil Santa pictures. “You got Belsnickel, Krampus, Black Peter.” He added. Dean and Angela took the pictures from Sam. “Whatever you want to call it, there’s all sorts of lore.”

“Saying what?” Dean asked.

“Saying back in the day, Santa’s brother went rogue and now he shows up around Christmas time, but instead of bringing presents, he punishes the wicked,” Sam replied.

“By hauling their ass up chimneys?” Angela asked.

“For starters, yeah.” Sam nodded.

“So, this is your theory, huh? Santa’s shady brother?” Dean asked.

“Well, I’m just saying that’s what the lore says.”

“Santa doesn’t have a brother. There is no Santa.” Dean replied.

“Yeah, I know. You’re the one who told me that in the first place, remember.” Sam said. He looked at Dean, who looked down, then sighed. “Yeah, you know what, I could be wrong.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Dean said.

“What?” Sam asked.

“Dean and I did a little digging,” Angela replied. “Turns out both victims visited the same place before they got snatched.”

“Where?”

~/~\~

Christmas music played, children were playing, and people wearing Christmas costumes were walking.

“It does kind of lend credence to the theory, don’t it?” Dean asked.

“Yeah, but anti-Claus? Couldn’t be.”

“It’s a Christmas miracle,” Dean replied. “Hey, speaking of, Angela and I were talking, and we should have one this year.”

“Have one what?” Sam asked.

“A Christmas,” Angela replied. She had always loved Christmas. It was never really celebrated when she was younger, but she loved the spirit of the holiday.

Sam scoffed. “No, thanks.”

“No, we’ll get a tree, a little Boston Market, just like when we were little,” Dean said.

“Dean, those weren’t exactly Hallmark memories for me, you know.” Sam shrugged.

“What are you talking about? We had some great Christmases.”

“Whose childhood are you talking about?”

“Oh, come on, Sam.” Angela persisted.

“No, just… no.” Sam sighed.

“All right, Grinch,” Dean replied, surprised.

Dean and Angela walked away, while Sam stood still. Suddenly he noticed a reindeer’s statue was staring at him. Sam looked uncomfortable.

~/~\~

_It was Christmas Eve, 1991. Reindeers pulled Santa’s sleigh across the sky on the TV, which was playing ‘A Year Without Santa Claus’. Sam was wrapping something with newspaper._

_“What is that?” Dean asked._

_“A present for Dad,” Sam replied._

_“Yeah, right.” Dean scoffed. “Where’d you get the money? Steal it?”_

_“No. Uncle Bobby gave it to me to give to him. Said it was real special.”_

_“What is it?”_

_“A pony,” Sam replied sarcastically._

_Dean scoffed. “Very funny.”_

_Sam continued wrapping the present. Dean sat on the couch next to him and picked up a magazine._

_“Dad’s gonna be here, right?”_

_“He’ll be here,” Dean said._

_“It’s Christmas.”_

_“He knows and he’ll be here. Promise.”_

_“Where is he anyway?” Sam asked._

_“On business.”_

_“What kind of business?”_

_“You know that. He sells stuff.”_

_“What kind of stuff?”_

_“Stuff!” Dean replied, irritated._

_“Nobody ever tells me anything,” Sam mumbled._

_Dean rolled his eyes. “Then quit asking.”_

_Dean left Sam and walked to the bed. He swiped the junk from it and opened the magazine._

_“Is Dad a spy?”_

_“Mm-hmm.” Dean nodded. “He’s James Bond.”_

_“Why do we move around so much?”_

_“’Cause everywhere we go, they get sick of your face.”_

_“I’m old enough, Dean. You can tell me the truth.”_

_“You don’t wanna know the truth. Believe me.”_

_“Is that why we never talk about… Mom?” Sam asked hesitantly._

_Dean tossed the magazine away angrily and stood up. “Shut up! Don’t you ever talk about Mom. Ever!” he headed for the door._

_“Wait, where are you going?”_

_“Out.”_

_Dean shut the door behind him and left Sam alone._

~/~\~

Sam was still lost in memories.

“You’d think with the 10 bucks it costs to get in this place, Santa could scrounge up a little snow,” Dean said.

“What?” Sam asked, awakening from his daydream.

“Nothing. What are we looking for, again?” Dean replied.

“Um…” Sam looked around. “Lore says the anti-Claus will walk with a limp and smell like sweets.”

“Great.” Dean nodded. “So we’re looking for a pimp Santa. Why the sweets?”

“Think about it, Dean,” Angela said. “If you smell like candy, the kids will come closer, you know?”

“That’s creepy,” Dean replied. Sam and Angela chuckled. “How does this thing know who’s been naughty and who’s been nice?”

“I don’t know.” Sam shrugged.

A man wearing a Santa Claus costume sat outside a small barn. A woman and boy walked up to him.

“So, Ronny, come sit on Santa’s knee,” Santa said. The boy sat. “Ah, there you go. You been a good boy this year?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Santa’s got a special gift for you.”

Dean looked at Santa and the boy. “Maybe we do.”

Ronny’s mother took his arm and led him away from the Santa.

“Come on, honey, let’s go.”

A woman in an elf costume walked up to Sam, Dean, and Angela.

“Welcome to Santa’s court. Can I escort your child to Santa?” she asked Sam and Angela.

They looked at each other. “Uh…” they said.

“No. No.” Dean smiled. “Uh, but actually my brother here… it’s been a lifelong dream of his.”

She looked at Sam like he was a freak. “Uh, sorry. No kids over… 12.”

“No, he’s just kidding. We only came here to watch.” Sam replied.

Angela closed her eyes and sighed. “Bad word choice.” 

The woman looked at Dean, who shook his head. She backed off.

“Eww.” She said to Sam.

“I, I didn’t mean that we came here to w—Y..." Dean looked at Sam. “Thanks a lot, Dean. Thanks for that.”

Dean laughed and suddenly turned serious. “Check it out.”

The three watched the Santa leave his chair. Santa walked with a bad limp.

“Are you seeing this?” Dean asked.

“A lot of people walk with limps, right?” Angela asked.

“Tell me you didn’t smell that. That was candy, Angie.” Dean said.

“That was ripple, I think.” Sam nodded. “Had to be.”

“Maybe,” Dean muttered. “We’re willing to take that chance?”

~/~\~

Inside the Impala, Sam, Dean, and Angela were spying on a simple house that was decorated with Christmas lights.

“What time is it?” Dean mumbled.

“Same as the last time you asked,” Angela replied. “Here.” She handed him a thermos from the backseat. “Caffeinate.”

Dean took the thermos from Angela and tried to pour coffee into the cup, but the thermos was empty.

“Wonderful,” Dean muttered. He scoffed. “Hey, Sam.”

“Yeah?”

“Why are you the boy that hates Christmas?” Dean asked.

“Dean—

“I mean, I admit it. You know, we had a few bumpy holidays when we were kids.”

“’Bumpy’?” Sam asked.

“That was then. We’ll do it right this year.” Dean said. “Right Angie?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I think it’d be fun.” 

“Look, guys.” Sam sighed. “If you want to have Christmas, knock yourselves out. Just don’t include me.”

Dean looked at Sam in disbelief. “Oh, yeah, that’d be great. Just me and Angie making cranberry molds.”

They returned to watching the house. Santa looked outside, then closed his curtains.

“What’s up with Saint Nicotine?” Dean asked.

“Oh, my God!” a woman’s voice yelled.

Sam, Dean, and Angela jumped out of the car and ran to the house with their guns drawn. Dean looked inside the window of the front door.

“Huh,” Sam said.

“What?” Angela asked.

“Nothing. It’s just that, uh… well, you know, Mr. and Mrs. Gung Ho Christmas might have to blow away Santa.”

~/~\~

Dean opened the door. Santa was sitting on the couch, holding a bong and a bottle of whiskey. Santa stood up and the three hunters quickly hid their guns.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Santa asked.

Dean looked around and realized Santa was only watching TV.

“I’m really not interested, okay?” the man on the TV said.

“Mistle my toe. Roast my chestnut.” The woman replied.

Dean looked at Sam and Angela who shrugged.

“Ah, w—Sam started.

“Jingle my bells?” the woman asked.

Dean started to sing, badly. “S-silent night… Holy…” he looked at Sam and Angela who followed him.

“…night.” The three continued. Santa smiled and sat down. “All is well…”

“…all is dry.” Santa sang along.

“Bright…” Sam said.

“Round and round…” they tried to sing although they don’t remember the lyrics.

“The table…” Sam sang. He put a hand on Dean's shoulder and grabbed Angela’s hand to pull them away.

~/~\~

“So, that’s how your son described the attack?” Dean asked. “’Santa took daddy up the chimney’?”

“That’s what he says, yes.”

“And where were you?” Angela asked.

“I was asleep and all of a sudden… I was being dragged out of bed, screaming.”

“Did you see the attacker?” Sam asked.

She shook her head. “It was dark, and he hit me. He knocked me out.”

Dean nodded. “I’m sorry. I know this is hard.”

“Yeah… um, Mrs. Caldwell, where did you get that wreath above the fireplace?” Sam asked. Dean and Angela looked around at the wreath.

“Excuse me?” Mrs. Caldwell asked.

Angela and Dean looked at Sam, waiting for an answer.

“Just curious, you know.” Sam shrugged.

~/~\~

“Wreathes, huh?” Angela looked up at Sam.

“Sure you didn’t want to ask her about her shoes?” Dean asked. “I saw some nice handbags in the foyer.”

“We’ve seen that wreath before, guys,” Sam replied.

“Where?” Dean asked.

“The Walsh’s’. Yesterday.” Sam said.

“I know.” Dean nodded. “I was just testing you.”

Angela just shook her head, smiling as they drove away in the Impala.

~/~\~

Sam was on the phone. “Yeah, all right. Well, keep looking, would you?” he said. “Thanks, Bobby.” He hung up. “Well… we’re not dealing with the anti-Claus.”

“What did Bobby say?” Angela asked.

“Uh, that we’re morons,” Sam replied. “He also said that it was probably meadowsweet in those wreathes.” He added, looking at his laptop.

“Wow!” Dean exclaimed. “Amazing. What the hell is meadowsweet?”

“It’s pretty rare and it’s probably the most powerful plan in pagan lore,” Sam said.

“Pagan lore?” Dean asked.

“Yeah.” Sam nodded. “See, they used meadowsweet for human sacrifices. It was kind of like a… chum for their gods. Gods were drawn to it and they’d stop by and snack on whatever was the nearest human.”

“Why would somebody be using that for Christmas wreaths?” Dean asked.

“It’s not as crazy as it sounds, Dean” Angela replied. “I mean, pretty much every Christmas tradition is pagan.”

“Christmas is Jesus’ birthday.”

“No, Jesus’ birthday was probably in the fall,” Sam said. “It was actually the winter solstice festival that was co-opted by the church and renamed ‘Christmas’. But I mean, the Yule log, the three wise men, even Santa’s red suit, that’s all remnants of pagan worship.”

“How do you know that?” Dean asked, though Angela looked rather impressed. “What are you gonna tell me next? Easter bunny’s Jewish?” Dean added. Sam said nothing. “So you think we’re dealing with a pagan God?”

“Yeah, probably Hold Nickar, God of the winter solstice,” Sam said.

“And all the Martha Stewart wannabes, buying these fancy wreathes…” Dean said.

“Yeah, it’s pretty much like putting a neon sign on your front door saying ‘Come kill us.’”

“Great.” Angela sighed.

“Huh…” Sam said, reading the article on his laptop. “When you sacrifice to Hold Nickar, guess what he gives you in return.”

“Lap dances, hopefully,” Dean replied.

“Mild weather,” Sam said.

Dean looked at the window. “Like no snow in the middle of December in the middle of Michigan.”

“For instance.” Sam nodded.

“Do we know how to kill it yet?” Angela asked.

“No, Bobby’s working on that right now. We got to figure out where they’re selling those wreathes.”

“You think they’re selling them on purpose?” Dean asked. “Feeding the victims to this thing?”

Sam exhaled. “Let’s find out.”

~/~\~

Sam, Angela, and Dean entered the Christmas shop.

“Help you, three?” the shopkeeper asked.

“Uh, hope so.” Dean nodded. “Uh, we were playing Jenga over at the Walsh’s the other night, and, uh… well, he hasn’t shut up about this Christmas wreath, and,” he looked at Sam. “I don’t know, you tell him.”

Sam gave Dean a look and Angela stifled a giggle. “Sure,” Sam said. “It was yummy.”

“I sell a lot of wreaths, guys.”

“Right, right, but, but you see, this one would have been really special,” Sam said. “It had, uh, it had, uh, green leaves, um, whit buds on it. It might have been made of, uh… meadowsweet?”

“Well, aren’t you a fussy one?”

Dean smiled. “He is…” He laughed and Sam looked at him, annoyed.

“Anyway, I know the one you’re talking about. I’m all out.”

“Huh,” Angela said. “Seems like this meadowsweet stuff’s pretty rare and expensive. Why make wreaths out of it?”

“Beats me. I didn’t make them.”

“Who did?” Angela asked.

“Madge Carrigan, a local lady. She said the wreaths were so special, she gave them to me for free.”

“She didn’t charge you?” Sam frowned.

“Nope.”

“Did you sell them for free?” Dean asked.

“Hell no. It’s Christmas. People pay a buttload for this crap.”

“That’s the spirit,” Dean smirked.

~/~\~

Dean opened the door and turned on the light. Sam and Angela followed him in.

“How much do you think a meadowsweet wreath would cost?” Dean asked.

“A couple hundred dollars, at least,” Angela said.

“This lady’s giving them away for free? What do you think about that?”

“Well, sounds pretty suspicious,” Sam said.

Dean and Sam took off their jackets and sat on the edge of their beds. Angela sat next to Sam.

“Remember that wreath Dad brought home that one year?” Dean asked.

“You mean the one he stole from, like, a liquor store?”

“Yeah.” Dean nodded. He looked at Angela. “It was a bunch of empty beer cans.” Dean smiled. “That thing was great. I bet if I looked around hard enough, I could probably find one just like it.”

“All right.” Sam sighed. “Dude… what’s going on with you? You too, Angie…”

“What?” Angela asked.

“I mean, since where are you two Bing Crosby all of a sudden? Why do you two want Christmas so bad?” Sam asked.

“Why are you so against it?” Dean retorted. “I mean, were your childhood memories that traumatic?”

“No, that has nothing to do with it.”

“Then what?”

“I, I mean, I, I just… I don’t get it. You haven’t talked about Christmas in years.” Sam shrugged. “I’ve never once heard Angie talk about it ever.”

Angie shrugged. “Never felt the need to.”

Dean nodded. “Well, yeah. This is my last year.”

Sam paused. “I know… that’s why I can’t.”

“What do you mean?” Dean frowned.

“I mean I can’t just sit around, drinking eggnog, pretending everything’s okay, when I know next Christmas you’ll be dead,” Sam whispered. Dean nodded. “I just can’t.”

Dean nodded, both him and Angela realizing the sadness in Sam’s voice. They were all silent, and Angela took Sam’s hand in hers.

~/~\~

_It was 1991, Sam was on the couch reading a comic book. Dean walked inside the room, holding a bag of groceries._

_“Thought you went out,” Sam said._

_“Yeah, to get you dinner.” He tossed Sam packaged food. “Don’t forget your vegetables.” He tossed him another bag of snack food._

_Dean took off his jacket, sat down on his bed, and opened a drink can. Sam sat on the other bed._

_“I know why you keep a gun under your pillow,” Sam said._

_Dean lifted his pillow and saw his gun. “No, you don’t. Stay out of my stuff.”_

_“And I know why we lay salt down everywhere we go.” Sam continued._

_“No, you don’t,” Dean replied. “Shut up.”_

_Sam turned around and grabbed something under his bed. It was John’s diary. Sam tossed it onto the nightstand between the beds._

_Dean stood up. “Where’d you get that?” he asked. “That’s Dad’s! He’s gonna kick your ass for reading that.”_

_“Are monsters real?”_

_“What? You’re crazy.”_

_“Tell me.” Sam persisted._

_Dean looking away, hesitating. “I swear, if you tell Dad I told you any of this, I will end you.”_

_“Promise,” Sam said._

_Dean sat and looked at John’s diary. “Well, the first thing you have to know is we have the coolest dad in the world. He’s a superhero.”_

_“He is?”_

_“Yeah.” Dean nodded. “Monsters are real. Dad fights them. He’s fighting them right now.”_

_“But Dad said the monsters under my bed weren’t real.”_

_“That’s ‘cause he had already checked there. But yeah, they’re real. Almost everything’s real.”_

_“Is Santa real?”_

_Dean shook his head. “No.”_

_Sam paused. “If monsters are real, they could get us. The could get me.”_

_“Dad’s not gonna let them get you.”_

_“But what if they get him?”_

_“They aren’t gonna get Dad. Dad’s, like, the best.”_

_“I read in Dad’s book that they got Mom.”_

_Dean exhaled. “It’s complicated, Sam.”_

_“If they got Mom, they can get Dad and if they can get Dad, they can get us.”_

_“It’s not like that.” Dean moved and sat next to Sam. “Okay? Dad’s fine. We’re fine.” He assured him. Sam looked sad and worried. “You okay?”_

_“Yeah,” Sam replied, looking away._

_“Hey, Dad’s gonna be here for Christmas. Just like he always is.”_

_Sam was holding back tears. “I just want to go to sleep, okay?”_

_“Yeah, okay.”_

_Sam lied down and cried quietly. Dean stayed sitting on the edge of the bed._

_“It’ll all get better when you wake up. You’ll see. Promise.”_


	16. A Very Supernatural Christmas Part 2

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked up to a big while house with Christmas decorations on the lawn.

“This is where Mrs. Wreath lives, huh? Can’t you just feel the evil pagan vibe?” Dean asked.

Dean knocked on the door and Madge greeted them.

“Yes?” she asked.

“Please tell me you’re the Madge Carrigan who makes the meadowsweet wreathes,” Dean said.

“Why, yes I am.”

“Ha! Bingo.” Dean grinned.

“Yeah?” Angela smiled. “Uh, well, we were just admiring your wreathes in Mr. Skylar’s place the other day.”

“You were?” Madge asked. “Well, isn’t that meadowsweet just the finest-smelling thing you ever smelled?”

“It is, it sure is.” Sam nodded. “But the problem is, is that all your wreaths sold out before we got the chance to buy one.”

“Oh, fudge!”

“You wouldn’t have another one that we could buy from you, would you?” Dean asked.

“Oh, no, I’m afraid those were the only ones I had for this season.”

“Aww…” Sam and Angela said.

“Tell me something, why did you decide to make them out of meadowsweet?” Dean asked.

Mr. Carrigan came down the staircase inside the house.

“Why, the smell, of course!” Madge grinned. “I don’t think I’ve ever smelled anything finer.”

“Yeah… um, you mentioned that,” Sam said.

“What’s going on, honey?” Mr. Carrigan asked.

“Well, just some nice boys and their friend asking about my wreaths, dear.”

“Oh, the wreaths are fine.” Mr. Carrigan smiled. “Fine wreaths. Oh, care for some peanut brittle?” he offered them some.

Dean reached out to take some, but Angela slapped Dean’s arm away.

“We’re okay,” Angela replied.

~/~\~

Dean and Angela were sharpening wooden stakes, while Sam used the laptop. Five other wooden stakes were on the bed and floor near Dean and Angela.

Sam clapped his hands. “I knew it,” Sam said. “Something was way off with those two.”

“What’d you find?” Angela asked.

“The Carrigans lived in Seattle, last year, where two abductions took place right around Christmas,” Sam replied. “They moved here in January. All that Christmas crap in their house, that wasn’t boughs of holly. It was verbatim mint.”

“Pagan stuff?” Dean asked.

“Serious pagan stuff.” Sam nodded.

“So what, Ozzie and Harriet are keeping a pagan god hidden underneath their plastic-covered couch?” Dean asked.

“I don’t know.” Sam shrugged. “All I know is we’ve gotta check them out.” He said. “So, what about Bobby? He’s sure evergreen stakes will kill this thing, right?”

Angela looked at the stake she was holding. “Yeah, he’s sure.”

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked toward the house. Dean picked the lock.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela each had a wooden stake.

Dean looked at the couch that was still covered with plastic. “See? Plastic.” He whispered.

Dean went into the living room and looked at all the Christmas ornaments, while Sam and Angela went to the hall which was also decorated with ornaments and snow globes. Sam and Angela went into the kitchen and saw a plate of cookies and cakes. Sam shines a flashlight on the lock of a door.

“Hey, Angie look,” Sam said.

She shined her light on the lock. “Hey, Dean.”

~/~\~

Dean, Sam, and Angela walked downstairs to the basement. Dean pointed his flashlight and found bones covered with blood in a large bowl. The checked the room and realized the whole basement looked like a butchery room rather than a storage room. Sam and Angela found a leather bag covered with blood. They looked disgusted and moved to another spot. Angela poked a bag that was hanging from the wall and the bag moved, someone inside struggling. Madge grabbed Angela’s neck from behind and lifted her off the ground.

“Angie!” Sam and Dean yelled.

She immediately knocked Angela unconscious and pushed Sam against a wall, and held him by the throat. Dean rushed to him and tried to stake Madge, but Mr. Carrigan grabbed his arm and knocked his head against the wall. Dean fell to the ground, unconscious. Madge looked at her husband, who smiled and nodded and looked back at Sam, who was struggling to breathe.

“Gosh, I wish you three hadn’t come down here,” Madge said.

Sam moved his flashlight to the Carrigans’ faces, which appeared monster-like when in the beam of the flashlight but returned back to normal out of the light. Madge shoved Sam hard against the wall and Sam fell to the ground.

~/~\~

The Christmas decorations on the lawn were lit up with lights and Christmas music played.

~/~\~

A number of bowls and a knife were set out on the kitchen table. Sam and Dean were tied up in chairs, back to back. Angela was tied up in a chair in a corner of the room.

“Dean? Angie?” Sam asked. “You okay?”

“Think so,” Angie muttered.

“Yeah, I think so.” Dean nodded.

Sam sighed. “So, I guess we’re dealing with Mr. and Mrs. God.” Dean and Angela nodded. “Nice to know,” 

The Carrigans came into the kitchen, dressed in colorful Christmas themed sweaters.

“Ooh, and here we thought you three lazybones were gonna sleep straight through all the fun stuff.” Madge giggled.

“Miss this? Nah, we’re partyers.” Dean replied.

Mr. Carrigan smoked his pipe. “Isn’t he in kick in the pants, honey?” he asked. “You’re hunters, is what you are.”

“And you’re pagan gods,” Angela said from her chair. “So, why don’t we just call it even and go our separate ways?”

“What, so you can bring more hunters and kill us?” Mr. Carrigan asked. He laughed. “I don’t think so.”

“Maybe you should have thought about that before you went snacking on humans,” Sam said.

“Oh now, don’t get all wet.” Mr. Carrigan replied.

“Oh, why, we used to take over a hundred tributes a year and that’s a fact,” Madge said, putting a napkin on Dean’s lap. “Now what do we take? What, two? Three?” she put a napkin on Sam’s lap.

“Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew here make five.” Mr. Carrigan said. “And we’ll find something to do with her.” He added.

“Now, that’s not so bad, is it?” Madge asked.

“Well, you say it like that, I guess you guys are the Cunninghams,” Dean replied.

“You, mister, better show us a little respect.”

“Or what? You’ll eat us?” Sam asked.

“Not so fast.” Mr. Carrigan said. He looked at Madge, who looked excited. “There’s rituals to be followed first.”

“Oh, we’re just sticklers for ritual,” Madge said.

“And you know what kicks off the whole shebang?” Mr. Carrigan asked. Madge smiled.

“Let me guess… meadowsweet,” Dean said.

“Oh!” Madge exclaimed.

“Oh shucks, you’re all out of wreaths,” Dean replied. “I guess we’ll just have to cancel the sacrifice, huh?”

“Oh, don’t be such a gloomy Gus.” Madge put wreaths around Dean’s and Sam’s necks. “There.” She smiled. She looked at Angela. “Ohh… don’t they just look darling?”

Angela glared. “Just shut up.” She growled.

Mr. Carrigan smirked. “Good enough to eat.” He smacked his lips, ignoring Angela. “All righty-roo. Step number two.”

Mr. Carrigan walked to Sam carrying a knife and a bowl. He held the bowl under Sam’s arm and prepared to cut him with the knife.

“Sam!” Angela yelled.

“Sammy?! Sammy?!”

Mr. Carrigan sliced Sam’s arm and collected his blood in the bowl.

“D-don’t!” Sam yelled, screaming.

“Leave him alone!” Angela yelled.

“Leave him alone, you son of a bitch!”

“Hear how they talk to us? To Gods?” Mr. Carrigan asked. Madge took the knife and bowl. “Listen, pal, back in the day, we were worshiped by millions.”

“Times have changed!” Dean replied.

“Tell me about it.” Mr. Carrigan replied. “All of a sudden, this Jesus character is the hot new thing in town. All of a sudden, our, our altars are being burned down, and we’re being hunted down like common monsters.”

“But did we say a peep?” Madge asked. “Oh… no, no, no.” Mr. Carrigan added something to Sam’s blood in the bowl. “Two millennia.” Madge continued. Mr. Carrigan picked up a tool. “We kept a low profile; we got jobs, a mortgage. Wh-what was that word, dear?”

“We assimilated.”

“Yeah, we assimilated.” Madge nodded. “Why, we play bridge on Tuesday and Fridays.” She held a large knife. “We’re just like everybody else.”

“You’re not blending in as smooth as you think, lady,” Dean replied.

“This might pinch a bit, dear.” She warned.

Madge came closer to Dean and sliced his arm just like Mr. Carrigan did to Sam.

“Dean!” Angela yelled.

“You bitch!” Dean screamed at Madge.

“Oh, goodness me!” Madge said. “Somebody owes a nickel to the swear jar. Oh, do you know what I say when I feel like swearing?” she asked. Dean looked her in the eyes. “Fudge.’”

“I’ll try and remember that!” Dean exclaimed.

“You three have no idea how lucky you are.” Mr. Carrigan replied. “There was a time when kids came from miles around, just to be sitting where you are.” He stood in front of Sam with the tool.

“What do you think you’re doing with those?” Sam asked, panicked.

Mr. Carrigan smiled.

Dean looked at Madge. “You fudging touch me again and I’ll fudging kill you!”

“Very good!”

Madge sliced Dean’s other arm and he groaned in pain, while Mr. Carrigan grabbed Sam’s hand.

“No! Don’t.” Sam said.

“Don’t touch him!” Angela shouted, wriggling under her bonds.

Mr. Carrigan pulled the nail off Sam’s index finger and Sam screamed.

Mr. Carrigan held up the nail. “Oh, we got a winner!”

The Carrigans put all the ingredients in the bowl and stirred them.

“What else, dear?” Madge asked.

“Well, let’s see. Uh, fingernail, blood. Oh…” Mr. Carrigan hit his own head. “Sweet Peter on a popsicle stick.” He laughed. “I forgot the tooth.”

“Oh, dear!”

Dean was breathing hard. “Merry Christmas, Sam.” He breathed. Sam groaned.

“Mr. Carrigan picked up pliers and grabbed Dean’s chin.

“Open wide… and say, ‘Aaah.’”

Mr. Carrigan put the pliers into Dean’s mouth and Dean groaned. The doorbell rang.

“Somebody gonna get that?” Dean asked with the pliers in his mouth. Madge and Mr. Carrigan looked at each other. Sam looked relieved. The doorbell rang again. “You should get that.”

Mr. Carrigan sighed. “Come on.”

Dean sighed in relief and ran his tongue around his teeth.

~/~\~

Madge and Mr. Carrigan opened the door to the kitchen and hurried inside.

“Now, where were we?” Madge asked.

Sam, Dean, and Angela were no longer in their chairs. The two doors to the kitchen closed. Sam, Angela, and Dean were behind them and stood with their backs to the doors as the Carrigans tried to open them. Dean pulled out a drawer to hold his door closed and went to help Sam and Angela.

Dean was leaning one hand against the door. “What do we do now? The evergreen stakes are in the basement!”

“Well, we need more evergreen, Dean!” Angela replied. She looked at the Christmas tree. “I think I just found us some more.” She added. She looked at a large cabinet next to the door. “Help me get this.”

Sam, Dean, and Angela moved the cabinet in front of the door and pushed the Christmas tree over. They broke branches from the tree to use as stakes. All was silent when they approached the kitchen door. Suddenly Mr. Carrigan tackled Dean to the ground. Madge walked up to Sam and Angela.

“You little things,” Madge said, her face contorting. “I loved that tree.”

Sam raised his stake. Madge hit Sam hard and he crashed into the couch and onto the floor. Angela quickly ran around so she was behind Madge. Mr. Carrigan punched Dean a number of times in the face. Madge walked closer to Sam and he hit her with the branched. Madge was about to attack Sam when he stabbed her with the Christmas tree stake and Angela stabbed her from behind.

Mr. Carrigan looked at his wife and screamed. “Madge!!!”

Sam and Angela pushed the stakes deeper and Madge groaned, while Dean took the opportunity and hit Mr. Carrigan with the branches. Sam pushed the stake in further and Madge fell to the ground, dead. Dean stabbed Mr. Carrigan twice and he screamed in pain. He lied dead, next to his wife. Sam and Angela breathed heavily, while Dean sighed in relief. They look at the dead bodies.

“Merry Christmas.” Sam smiled, looking at Dean and Angela, smiling briefly and sighing.

“Merry Christmas.” Angela breathed.

~/~\~

_It was 1991, and it was snowing outside._

_Sam was asleep and Dean shook him._

_“Sam, wake up!” Dean said. Sam woke up. “Dad was here. Look what he brought.”_

_Dean looked around at the little Christmas tree, decorated with a few lights._

_“Dad was here?” Sam asked._

_“Yeah. Look at this, we made a killing.”_

_Sam yawned. “Why didn’t he try to wake me up?”_

_“He tried to, like a thousand times.” Dean shrugged._

_“He did?”_

_Dean nodded. “Yeah. Did I tell you he would give us Christmas, or what?” Sam looked around. “Go on, dive in.”_

_Sam jumped out of his bed and hurried to the Christmas tree. He found two presents wrapped with Christmas themed gift wrap. One of them had a green shiny bow. Sam sat on the couch and unwrapped his first gift. Dean sat on the other end of the couch and watched, excitedly._

_Dean smiled. “What is it?”_

_“Sapphire Barbie.”_

_Dean chuckled. “Dad probably thinks you’re a girl.”_

_“Shut up!” Sam replied. He threw the Barbie onto the ground._

_“Open that one.”_

_Sam opened the other present and found a cheerleading stick. He looked at Dean._

_“Dad never showed, did he?”_

_“Yeah, he did. I swear.”_

_“Dean… where’d you get all this stuff?”_

_Dean realized he couldn’t lie anymore and looked down._

_“Nice house up the block.” He muttered. Sam looked away. “I swear I didn’t know they were chick presents.” He assured him. Sam nodded. “Look, I’m sure Dad would have been here if he could.”_

_“If he’s alive.”_

_“Don’t say that. Of course he’s alive. He’s Dad.”_

_Sam nodded and Dean looked sad. Sam took the present he wrapped from the pocket of a jacket that was lying over the arm of the couch. He held it out to Dean._

_“Here, take this.”_

_“No. No, that’s for Dad.”_

_“Dad lied to me. I want you to have it.”_

_Sam continued to hold out the gift. Dean looked at it and at Sam._

_“You sure?”_

_Sam nodded. “I’m sure.”_

_“Thank you, Sam. I, I love it.”_

_Dean put on the necklace. Sam nodded._

~/~\~

Sam looked touched at his own memory. Dean and Angela walked into the room. They both looked surprised because Sam had decorated the room with a Christmas tree and a ‘Merry Christmas’ sign. It reminded Angela of the first Christmas she spent without her dad. Her friends had taken her to a small surprise gathering and it was decorated like this.

“Hey, you get the beer?” Sam asked, holding a cup of eggnog.

Dean looked kind of amazed. “What’s all this?” he looked at the decorations in the room.

“It’s lovely.” Angela breathed.

“What do you think it is?” Sam asked. “It’s, it’s Christmas.”

Dean and Angela looked at Sam, who let out a deep breath.

“What made you change your mind?” Angela asked.

Sam didn’t answer. “Here, uh, try the eggnog.” He gave them a cup. “Let me know if it needs some more kick.” He held out a bottle of whiskey.

Dean and Angela sipped it and looked surprised at the taste.

“No, we’re good,” Dean replied.

Sam smiled. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Angela smiled as she coughed lightly.

When Sam looked away, Dean changed his expression, like it tasted toxic. Angela giggled.

“Good. Well, uh, have a seat.” Sam whispered. “Let’s do… Christmas stuff, or whatever.”

Dean smirked. “Well uh, sure, but first, look up you two.”

Angela glanced up and went wide-eyed. She was looking up at a thing of mistletoe hanging above her and Sam’s heads.

“I-I uh…” she stammered, her cheeks heating up.

“Come on Angie, not afraid of a little Christmas tradition, are ya?” Dean teased.

She rolled her eyes. “No, no I’m not afraid.” 

Sam smiled down at her and leaned down until his lips were pressed to hers softly. She kissed him back softly, wrapping her arms around his neck, her eyes fluttering closed. A few moments later they pulled away.

“I’ve wanted to do that for such a long time.” Sam breathed.

She smiled. “Me too.” 

Dean grinned. “It’s ‘bout damn time. You two have been dancing around each other since day one.” 

Sam looked at her. “Is it true? You’ve felt this way for a while?”

Angela nodded. “Yeah.” 

Sam smiled. “Well, the feeling is most certainly mutual.”

Angela grinned.

“All right lovebirds, first things first.” Dean cut in. Sam sat on the couch, pulling Angela next to him and Dean pulled up a chair. He took two packages wrapped in brown paper from a plastic bag and held them out to Sam. He did the same to Angela. “Merry Christmas, guys.”

Sam and Angie took the gifts. “Where’d you get these?” Sam asked.

“Someplace special.” Sam and Angela looked at Dean. “The gas mart down the street.” Sam and Angela laughed. “Open them up,” Dean added.

“Well, great minds think alike, Dean.” Angela smiled. Sam and Angela reached under the couch for two packages each, wrapped in newspaper, which they gave to Dean.

Dean was surprised. “Really?” he took the gifts.

“There you go.” Sam smiled.

“Come on,” Dean said.

“Oh, Sam,” Angela said. “Here.” She gave him two gifts.

He smiled. “Thank you.” He replied. “Here.” He handed her two packages.

She smiled up at him. “Wow, thanks, Sam.” She murmured.

Sam opened his first, which were two porn magazines.

Sam laughed. “Skin mags!” he said. Angela giggled, and Dean nodded, satisfied with Sam’s reaction. “And…” he opened the next gift. “Shaving cream.” He smiled. He opened the gifts from Angela. “Razors and soap.” He grinned.

“You like?” Dean and Angela asked.

Sam smiled. “Yeah. Yeah.” He nodded. “Alright, Angie.” 

She opened the first gift. “A bag of chocolate kisses!” she smiled. “And… shampoo.” She added. “Aw, thank you, Sam.” She smiled. She opened the two from Dean. “Razors and soap.” She smiled. “Thank you, Dean.”

It was Dean’s turn to open his presents. He chuckled and unwrapped the gifts.

“Look at this.” He lifted the two from Sam. “Fuel for me and fuel for my baby.” He said. Sam nodded. “These are awesome, thanks.” He added. He opened the two from Angela. “Razors and shaving cream.” He smiled. “Thanks, Angie.” He said. “Though, you two getting together was the best gift.” He laughed.

Angela and Sam smiled at each other.

“Good.” Sam nodded. Suddenly, there was a bit of sadness to his face.

Dean lifted his glass of eggnog. “Merry Christmas, guys.”

“Yeah.” Sam nodded. He lifted his eggnog and so did Angela. They made a toast with Dean’s glass. “Here, Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas.” Angela murmured.

The three were silent, knowing that this could be their last Christmas with Dean. They each took a drink of their eggnog and Dean whistled softly at the taste.

“Hey, guys,” Sam whispered. He looked at Dean, about to say something, but he hesitated, then sighed. “Do you feel like watching the game?”

Dean smiled. “Absolutely.”

“Sure.” Angela smiled.

Sam nodded. “All right.”

Sam stood up and turned on the TV. They watched the winter football game. Sam pulled Angela close to him and Angela rested her head on his shoulder.

Dean smiled and glanced at Sam, gave a thumbs up to him, and sipped his eggnog.


	17. Malleus Maleficarum Part 1

Dean and Angela were questioning Paul about Janet, and Sam was searching the bathroom for clues as to what happened.

“She was so scared,” Paul started, his voice wavering slightly. “I couldn’t help; I couldn’t do anything to stop it. And I’ve talked to the police, and I’ve talked to the medical examiner and no one can explain it.”

“Well, that’s why they put the call in to us, Mr. Dutton,” Angela replied.

“But the CDC, that’s disease control right?” Paul asked. “What do you think; it’s some kind of virus?”

Sam closed the door to the bathroom and looked more thoroughly through things.

“We’re not ruling out anything yet,” Dean said from the other room. “Mr. Dutton, did Janet have any enemies?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Anyone that might have a reason to hurt her?” Angela asked.

“Wait, what are you saying? That somebody poisoned her?”

Sam looked under the sink in the bathroom and found the hex bag that was left there by Amanda. 

“We’re just saying we have to cover every base here,” Dean said.

“Well, I mean, what kind of poison? You think a person could have done this?”

“Would anyone want to?” Angela asked.

“What?!” Paul asked. “No, no there’s just no one that could’ve—

Sam opened the bathroom door.

“Mr. Dutton?” Dean asked.

“Uh, everyone loved Janet.”

Sam nodded at Dean and Angela so they know that Sam was done investigating.

“Okay.” Angela nodded. “Thank you very much; I think we’ve got everything we need. We’ll get out of your way now.”

~/~\~

It was raining as Sam, Dean, and Angela walked out of the house toward the Impala.

“That dude seem a little evasive to you?” Dean asked.

“I don’t know I was under a sink, pulling this out,” Sam replied.

Sam took the hex bag out of his pocket and handed it to Dean and they all stop as Dean took the bag from Sam and opened it.

“Hex bag,” Angela muttered.

“Awww _gross._ ” Dean groaned.

“Yeah, there a bird bones, rabbit’s teeth,” Sam replied. “This cloth is probably cut from something Janet Dutton owned.”

Dean looked back at the house for a second and turned back, handing the bag to Sam and walked towards the Impala again.

“So we’re thinking witch?” Dean asked.

“Uh, yeah, and not some new age wicked water douser either,” Sam said. “This is old-world black magic guys, I mean, warts and all.”

Dean got in and turned to look at Sam and Angela.

“I hate witches,” Dean complained. “They’re always spewing their bodily fluids everywhere.”

“Pretty much,” Angela replied.

“It’s creepy, you know, it’s downright unsanitary.”

“Yeah, well someone definitely had it out for Janet Dutton,” Sam said.

“Yeah, someone who snuck into that house and planted the bag,” Dean replied. “So what are we thinking, we’re uh, looking for some old craggy Blair bitch in the woods.”

“No, it could be anyone,” Angela said. “Neighbor, coworker, man, woman that’s the problem Dean, they’re human, they’re like everyone else.”

“Great how do we find ‘em?” Dean asked.

“This wasn’t random; someone in Janet Dutton’s like had an ugly ax to grind,” Sam said. “We find the motive—

“We find the murderer.” Dean finished.

“Yeah.” Sam nodded.

~/~\~

Paul was chewing and holding his burger as the radio went static and the song changed to ‘I Put a Spell on You’ by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. Paul laid down his burger on the passenger seat of his car and maggots fell out onto the wrapper. He reached and turned off the radio. Picking up his burger again he took another bite and began to chew but made a face and went to reach in his mouth lifting his burger and looking down at it. He saw it was covered in maggots.

“Aah, oh!” he exclaimed.

Paul put down his burger as ‘I Put a Spell on You’ came back on the radio and he leaned forward starting to choke. He opened the door of his car falling out onto the pavement hunched over as Dean, Sam and Angela arrived in the Impala. Dean ran over to Paul.

“Sam! Angie! Check the car!” Dean yelled.

Sam and Angela searched under the dashboard and steering column as Dean tried to help Paul.

“Sam! Angie!”

“Got it!” Angela replied.

Sam and Angela got up, Angela removing the hex bah she found as Dean pulled Paul up from the pavement.

“Come on,” Dean said.

Angela lit the hex bag on fire and dropped it to the ground as it glowed with blue and green flames. Paul recovered from choking and leaned back against the car.

“You okay?” Dean asked.

“What the hell is happening to me?!”

“Someone murdered your wife and now they’re trying to kill you, that’s what’s happening to you,” Dean replied.

“That’s impossible!” Paul exclaimed. “There’s no way—

“If we hadn’t have been following you, you’d be a doornail right now,” Dean said. “Now who wants you dead?”

“I, uh…”

“Come on think.”

“There’s a woman, uh...”

“A woman, okay?” Angela asked.

“An affair, a mistake, she was unbalanced, she was blackmailing me and I put an end to it a week ago,” Paul said.

“What’s her name?” Sam asked.

“What could she have to do with--?”

“Paul, what is her name?” Dean asked.

~/~\~

Dean picked the lock and entered Amanda’s house followed closely by Sam and Angela with their guns drawn. They entered the room and found Amanda lifeless on the table covered in blood and switched on the light.

“That’s a curveball.”

“Yeah.” Sam and Angela muttered.

They approached Amanda’s body, and Dean lifted her right arms with the barrel of his gun then looked at the other as well.

“Three per wrist, vertical. She wasn’t foolin’ around.” Dean said.

Sam put his gun in the back of his jeans and bent down to look at the scattered remnant of the altar holding his nose to the smell of the burnt rotten food.

“Yeah, looks like she was working some heavyweight evil here,” Sam said.

“Yup.” Angela nodded.

Dean turned around nearly running into the hanging body of a rabbit.

“Oh god!” Dean yelled. “Freakin’ witches! Seriously man, come on!”

“Guess we know where she got the rabbit’s teeth from,” Angela muttered.

“Well, Paul sure knows how to pick ‘em huh?” Dean asked. “It’s like Fatal Attraction all over again.”

“Yeah.” Sam nodded.

“And why does the rabbit always get screwed in the deal?!” Dean asked. “The poor little guy.”

“You know what I don’t get guys?” Angela frowned. “If she was so bent on revenge, why do this?”

“Well, she got Janet Dutton, thought she finished off Paul, decided to cap herself and make it a spurned lovers hat-trick,” Dean said.

“Maybe.” Sam nodded. Sam started to look under the glass table that Amanda was on.

“I mean, this doesn’t exactly look like the TV room of a bright and stable person you know?” Dean said.

“No, but then…” Sam started. Sam reached around and pulled out another hex bag that was tucked under the table and stood up tossing it to Dean. “There’s this.”

“Another hex bag? Come on!” Dean replied.

Dean opened the bag to find similar contents of the bag they found in Janet’s bathroom and he tossed it on the table reaching for his phone.

“Looks like we got a hit huh? A little witch on witch violence?” Dean raised a brow.

“I guess,” Angela replied.

Dean dialed the phone and held it up to his ear. “I’d like to report a dead body, 309 Mayfair Circle.” He said. “My name? Yeah, sure my name is,” he clicked the phone shut cutting himself off. “Why are witches ganking each other?”

“I don’t know, but I think maybe we got a coven on our hands,” Angela said.

~/~\~

Elizabeth was turning the soil of her garden with a small shovel when Dean, Sam, and Angela walked up her driveway to question her.

“You must have a green thumb,” Sam commented.

“Excuse me?” Elizabeth asked.

“Getting these herbs to grow out of season like this, quite impressive.” He replied. “I’m sorry; I should have introduced myself first.” He added. He reached in the pocket of his suit jacket and took out a badge. “I’m uh, Detective Bachman, this is Detective Turner and Detective Schmidt.”

Dean and Angela took their own badges out of their jacket pockets and flashed them at Elizabeth.

“Hi-ya,” Dean greeted.

“Hi.” Angela smiled.

“We’re following up on Amanda Burns’ death, going around the neighborhood and talking to neighbors and stuff like that,” Sam explained.

“But didn’t she, I mean she killed herself right?”

“Maybe, maybe,” Angela said.

“We heard you were friends with the deceased right?” Dean asked.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Elizabeth nodded.

“Did you have any idea about her practices?” Angela asked.

“I’m sorry, what kind of practices?”

“Well see, her house was littered with satanic paraphernalia,” Angela informed.

“A regular Black Sabbath,” Dean added.

“No, the, but she was an Episcopalian,” Elizabeth replied.

“Well, then we’re pretty sure she was using the wrong bible,” Dean said.

Renee and Tammi walked up unseen, and Renee spoke causing the three hunters to turn and take notice of their arrival.

“Elizabeth, you alright?” Renee asked.

“I’m fine uh Renee, these are Detectives,” Elizabeth said. “They say Amanda was, she was practicing,”

“I’m sorry Detectives; you can tell that Elizabeth is a little bit upset,” Renee said.

“Of course, Miss…?” Dean asked.

“Mrs. Renee Van Allen.” She replied. “Would you like me to spell it for you?”

“I’ll get by, thanks,” Dean replied.

“This Amanda business has been hard for Liz, for all of us,” Renee said.

“Yeah, I mean, you think you know a person,” Tammi added.

“Well, I guess we all have secrets don’t we?” Angela asked.

“Well, thanks, um, we’ll be in touch,” Sam said.

“Have a nice day,” Dean added.

“Bye,” Tammi said.

~/~\~

The Impala was driving down a country road through the fog.

~/~\~

Dean was driving, Sam was in the passenger’s seat, and Angela was in the back.

“Well, I’m already sold on that Elizabeth chick,” Dean said. “Did you see that victory garden of hers?” he asked. “Belladonna, wolfsbane, mandrake, not to mention that little flinch she threw when we mentioned the occult.”

“Well, she’s definitely had a good run lately, hone up a few tax brackets; won almost too many raffles,” Angela said, leaning over to look at the boys. “Kinda thing a little black magic always helps with.”

“Yeah.” Dean nodded.

“I don’t think she’s alone either, looks like Mrs. Renee Van Allen has won almost every craft contest she has entered in the past three months,” Sam added.

“Yeah, a regular Martha Stewart huh?” Dean asked. “Except for the devil worship, I’m thinking that was the coven back there we met minus one member.”

“Amanda was clearly going off the reservation, what do you think they killed her to keep up appearances?” Angela asked.

“Seems like an appearance kind of crowd don’t you think?” Dean raised a brow.

“Yeah.” She nodded.

“If they killed the nut-job should we uh, thank them or what?”

“They’re working black magic too, Dean, they need to be stopped,” Sam said.

“’Stopped’ like stopped?” Dean asked.

Sam gave him a look that said ‘of course’.

“They’re human Sam,” Angela reminded.

“They’re murderers.” He countered.

Dean looked at Sam for a second with doubt and then resigned himself. Angela frowned and looked forward.

“Burn witch, burn,” Dean muttered. Dean continued to drive when the Impala stuttered and started to choke up. “What the hell?”

The headlights of the Impala flickered off and then back on again as it slowly came to a stop in front of a figure standing in the middle of the road. It was Ruby. Sam got out of the car first and Dean and Angela followed.

“Ruby,” Sam said.

“Sam, listen to me, there’s no time.” She said.

“For what? What are you talking about?” Angela frowned.

“You have to get out of town,” Ruby stressed.

“So this is Ruby huh?” Dean asked. Dean raised the Colt and aimed it at her cocking it. “Never had the pleasure.”

“Dean!” Sam said.

“I was hoping you’d show up again,” Dean told her.

“Point that thing somewhere else,” Ruby replied.

“Hahahaha, right.” Dean nodded.

“Sam please, go, get in the car, and don’t look back.”

“Why? I don’t understand.”

“Hey, hot stuff we can take care of a few kitchen witches, thanks.”

“I’m not talking about witches, you jackass, witches are whores.” She said. “I’m talking about who they serve.”

The three hunters looked confused for a second, but then it dawned on Angela.

“Demons, they get their power from demons,” Angela said.

“Yeah, and there’s one here, now,” Ruby said.

“Oh, what, you mean besides you?” Dean asked.

“Sam, Angela, it knows you’re in town and it’s gonna come after you two and it’s way more than you can handle.” She warned.

“Oh come on, what is this huh?” Dean asked. “Please tell me you’re not listening to this crap!”

“I’m not, Dean, I’m not,” Angela replied.

“Put a leash on your brother Sam, if you wanna keep him.” Ruby snarked.

“Dean, Angie, look, just chill out,” Sam muttered.

“No, no! She’s messing with your head, God knows why, that’s who they are!” Dean snapped.

“I’m telling you the truth,” Ruby said.

“And I’m telling you to shut up bitch.” Dean replied.

“I’m sorry, why are you even a part of this conversation?!”

“Oh, I don’t know maybe because he’s my brother and Angie’s my friend you black-eyed skank!”

“Oh, right, right. You care about your brother and his girlfriend so much, that’s why you’re checking out in a few months, leaving them all alone?”

“Shut up,” Dean growled.

“At least let me try and save them since you won’t be here to do it anymore.”

“I said shut up!” Dean moved to fire the Colt at Ruby.

“Dean no!” Sam yelled.

Sam pushed Dean’s arm away from Ruby as he fired the Colt, and Dean tried to fight against Sam’s hold and they locked arms and both looked to where Ruby was standing to see that she had vanished. Dean gave Sam a look of disappointment and went back to the Impala, as Sam looked around in vain for Ruby.

Angela walked over to him, sighing, and taking his hand in hers. “Let’s just go…” 

He nodded, squeezing her hand lightly.

~/~\~

Dean walked in first and switched on the light and Sam and Angela followed right behind him.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Dean asked.

“What?! What the hell was I thinking?”

“She’s a demon Sam, period alright,” Dean replied. “They want us dead, we want them dead. Angie understands that!”

“Oh, that’s funny; I remember that demon chick in Ohio, Casey? You didn’t want her dead.” Sam retorted.

“Yeah, well she wasn’t stringing me along like a fish on a hook.”

“She’s not stringing me along,” Sam replied. “Look, I know it’s dangerous, that she is dangerous, but like it or not, she is useful.”

“No, we kill her before she kills us,” Dean said. “Thoughts?” he looked at Angela.

“I-I mean, she does seem useful…” she started. “But Sam, I dunno, we can’t trust her…”

Sam sighed. “Kill her with what? The gun she fixed for us?”

“Whatever works.” Dean shrugged.

“Dean, if she wants us dead, all she has to do is stop saving our lives.”

Dean turned away from Sam and went to the sink turning on the water.

“Look, we have to start looking at the big picture guys, start thinking in strategies and, and moves ahead.”

Dean splashed water on his face.

“It’s not so simple, we’re not, we’re not just hunting anymore, we’re at war,” Sam added.

Dean turned off the water and looked at Sam in the mirror above the sink, grabbed a towel to dry off his face, and turned back around to Sam.

“Are you feeling okay?” Dean asked.

“Uh, why are you always asking me that?”

Sam sat on the foot of one of the beds in the room, Angela sitting next to him, and Dean moved back toward them.

“Because you’re taking advice from a demon for starters, and by the way, you seem less and less worried about offing people, it used to eat you up inside.”

“We’re just concerned about it, Sam,” Angela said softly.

“I know.” Sam sighed. “But, what has that gotten me?” he asked.

“Nothing, but it’s just what you’re supposed to do okay?” Dean replied. “We’re supposed to drive in the friggin’ car and friggin’ argue about this stuff, and Angie calms us down. You know, you go on about the sanctity of life and all that crap.”

“Wait, so, so you’re mad because I’m starting to agree with you?” Sam asked.

“No, I’m not mad, I’m... I’m... I’m worried, Sam. Angie and I are worried.” Dean said as he moved and sat down on the foot of the other bed in the room.

“We’re worried because you’re not acting like yourself,” Angela whispered.

“Yeah, you two are right, I’m not,” Sam admitted. “I don’t have a choice.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Dean asked.

“Look, Dean, you’re leaving right?” Sam asked. “And Angie and I gotta stay here in this craphole of a world without you. So the way I see it, if we’re gonna make it, if we’re gonna fight this war after you’re gone, then I gotta change.”

Angela frowned and Dean had been looking increasingly uncomfortable during Sam’s speech, and was now clutching his stomach in discomfort and leaned forward slightly.

“Change into what?” Dean asked.

“Into you, I gotta be more like you.” Sam murmured.

Dean tightened his face in pain and he leaned further over still clutching his stomach and side with his left hand.

“Ah!” Dean yelled.

“What’s going on with you?” Angela asked.

Dean moved around in pain still clutching his stomach, and he could barely force words out.

“I don’t know. Oh, Sam, Angie something’s wrong, bunch of knives inside me—

“Dean,” Sam frowned in concern.

Sam and Angela knelt in front of Dean who was now leaning all the way forward with his head almost between his legs.

“Son of a bitch—

“Dean, hey,” Angela said.

“The coven guys, it’s gotta be the coven.” Dean groaned.

“Don’t worry,” Angela comforted.

Sam got up and rushed into the bathroom opening the cupboards below the sink looking for the hex bag as Dean groaned in pain and lied down on the bed, his face still twisted in pain, and Angela trying to comfort him. Sam pulled things out of the cupboard throwing them aside. Dean leaned back forward falling to his knees in front of the foot of the bed, spitting out blood, choking, and sputtering. Sam was still looking for the hex bag, in another cupboard pulling out pillows and when he found nothing, he moved to the bed while Dean was still choking on blood and spitting it out of his mouth. Sam pulled off the covers to the bed tearing back the sheets and sliced the mattress open with his knife and still could not find the hex bag.

“Guys, I can’t find it,” Sam said frantically.

Dean fell over sideways and looked weak and hurt and still in pain.

“No,” Angela shook her head.

As Dean continued to cough blood more weakly now, Sam rummaged through his bag and pulled out the Colt and opened it to make sure there were bullets in it.

“Sam, what are you doing?” Angela asked.

Sam got up and moved towards the door.

“Sam,” Dean said.

Sam left closing the door behind him.

“Sam!” Angela yelled.


	18. Malleus Maleficarum Part 2

The Impala sped down a dark country road and Sam was at the wheel with a look of determination on his face.

~/~\~

Elizabeth, Renee, and Tammi were around the coffee table again with the altar set up, chanting.

“Kiher tolic echranmuk madan fiere marc oh don duer kianave—

Sam kicked in the door and the women screamed out of fear getting up from the altar raising their hands in surrender. Sam entered the room with the Colt drawn.

“Let him go.”

“Let who go?” Renee asked. “What are you doing? You’re insane, get out!”

“Look, if you know about me, you know about this gun, you’re killing my brother, now let him go.” He said. “Get away from the altar.”

“What?” Renee asked.

“Now!” he yelled.

They all moved away from the altar with their hands still up as Sam kept the Colt trained on them.

~/~\~

Dean was leaning over a pool of blood he had spit out gasping and coughing blood still. Angela was trying to keep him upright. There were quick footsteps outside and the door was kicked open and Ruby stepped in and found Dean and Angela who looked up and saw her.

“You wanna kill us?” Dean asked. “Get in line bitch.”

Ruby went over to Dean and pulled him up by the collar, making Angela back off, and tossed him on the bed. She leaned over him and forced his mouth open with her left hand as Dean tried to push her away. Ruby sprayed a black liquid into his mouth from a bag at her side with her right hand while Dean struggled under her hold. Ruby stood up as Dean choked on the liquid and spit some out.

“Stop calling me bitch.” Ruby glared.

~/~\~

Sam was still aiming the gun at Elizabeth, Renee, and Tammi.

“Go.” He said.

Elizabeth, Renee, and Tammi moved over in front of the fireplace with their hands still up in the air.

“What, we, we weren’t hurting anyone,” Elizabeth stammered.

“Please we don’t even know your brother,” Renee said.

“Stop the spell or die, five seconds,” Sam replied.

“What?” Renee asked.

“Four.”

“No, please, please don’t kill us,” Renee begged.

“We were just getting Renee a lower mortgage rate,” Elizabeth said.

Sam looked confused but still held the gun ready.

~/~\~

“Next time you point that gun at me, I’m not just gonna disappear, understand?” Ruby said.

She tossed a sawed-off shotgun over to Dean who was back to sitting on the foot of the bed, his face cleaned off from the blood and liquid ‘cure’ that Ruby gave him. Angela was sitting on the foot of the other bed.

“You saved my life,” Dean said.

“Don’t mention it.”

“What was that stuff?” Dean asked. “God, it was ass, it tasted like ass.”

“It’s called witchcraft short bus,” Ruby said.

She turned and walked out of the room closing the door behind her and left Dean on the bed slightly offended. Angela just gave a small chuckle at the look on his face.

“You’re the short bus… short bus,” Dean grumbled.

~/~\~

“Okay, maybe it’s not you,” Sam said. He pointed the gun at Elizabeth. “Or you.” He added. He pointed the gun at Renee this time. “Maybe it’s you.” Sam pointed the gun at Tammi who looked upset and scared.

“I don’t even know what he’s talking about, what are you even talking about?” Tammi asked.

“I mean, all of you, everyone in your little coven, you’ve all had runs of good fortune, newsworthy good fortune, except for you Tammi,” Sam replied. “Now tell me, why is that? You didn’t want anything for yourself?” he asked. “Or is it because you’re already getting what you wanted, like these women’s souls.”

“I can’t, I-I’m not, I, I, I don’t…” Tammi tried. She sighed and put her hands down, going from looking frightened to calm and her eyes changed to black revealing that she was the demon Ruby warned him about. “Nice dick work Magnum.”

“Let my brother go.”

“What’s wrong, couldn’t find my hex bag?” she asked. “Sorry, sweetheart, but your brother’s lungs should be on the floor by now.”

Sam shot the Colt and Tammi held up her hand and the bullet lost momentum was slowed and fell to the floor before it reached the target.

“You’re in a lot of trouble Sam,” Tammi said. Tammi motioned her arm at Sam, and he was thrown against the wall behind him, and pinned there.

“Tammi, what’s wrong with your eyes?” Elizabeth asked.

Tammi turned her head and attention on the other two women, making her eyes look human again, while Sam was pinned helplessly to the wall.

“Tammi, what are you doing?” Renee asked.

“Renee, shut your painted hole,” Tammi said.

“What?” Renee asked, shocked. “I, I will, you can’t, not in my house Tammi Fenton.”

Tammi waved her right hand at Renee and Renee’s head snapped to the right so far it almost turned completely backward, killing her instantly and she dell to the floor as Elizabeth shrieked in terror covering her mouth.

“Look, you got me, let the girl go,” Sam said.

“Wait your turn young man,” Tammi replied.

Elizabeth made another scared noise bringing Tammi’s attention back to her.

“Shhh, Lizzie, it’s okay.”

“You’re not Tammi,” Elizabeth whispered.

“No, but I’m wearing her meat. I had to break the ice with you girls somehow.”

“You killed Renee.”

“Renee, Amanda, that’s what happens to witches who get voted off the island.”

“Who are you?” Elizabeth asked.

“Funny story actually,” Tammi said. “You remember all those dark demonic forces you prayed to when you swore your servitude? Just who did you think you were praying to?”

“This, this isn’t it can’t b—

“What did you think it was?” Tammi asked. “Make-believe? Positive thinking? The Secret? No, it was me. You sold yourself to me, you pig.”

Elizabeth gasped and continued to stare at Tammi in horror.

“All I had to do was bring one good book to book club, and you ladies lined up to kiss my ass,” Tammi said.

“No, no, we didn’t know—

“Oh, yes you did.” Tammy nodded. “You knew every step of the way, and now your ever-living souls are mine.” She added. Tammi turned back to Sam who was still pinned to the wall. “Comments? Questions? Hmm, Sammy Winchester, wow! Right here in our little town. You know, my friends and I, we’ve been looking for you and your girlfriend.”

“Why?” Sam asked. “Oh, right, cause we’re supposed to lead some piss poor demon army.”

“No, not at all,” Tammi replied. You two aren’t our Messiahs, we don’t believe in you. But, there’s a new leader rising in the west, a real leader. That’s the horse to bet on Sam, the one who’s gonna tear this world apart. Thing is, this demon, it doesn’t like you or Angie very much, doesn’t want the competition.”

Tammi raised her hand and Sam slid up the wall and was suspended against it. “Nothing personal, it’s a P.R. thing, so, buh-bye.”

Tammi kept her hand raised, and Sam began to be crushed into the wall, paint, and plaster cracking as he was pushed harder into the solid wall. Elizabeth stood there watching, frozen in fear and the front door to the house slammed open. Dean and Angela ran in with their shotguns drawn and Tammi turned around easily throwing them over the sofa, and when they got up, she pinned them to the wall behind them.

“Three for one, lovely,” Tammi said.

Ruby’s voice cut in before Tammi could finish what she started.

“Wait,” Ruby said. She walked in with her hands raised in surrender. “Please, I just came to talk.” 

“You made it out of the gate, impressive,” Tammi said. “That was a bitch of a fight wasn’t it?”

“Doors outta hell only open for so long,” Ruby replied.

“What do you want Ruby?” Tammi asked.

“I’ve been lost without you, take me back,” Ruby replied. “That’s why I led the Winchesters and Angie here.”

Angela sighed and Dean looked angry and mouthed ‘I told you so’ to Sam.

“They’re for you, as a gift,” Ruby said.

“Really?” Tammi raised a brow.

“Let me serve you again, I’ve wanted it, I’ve wanted _you_ for so long.”

“You were one of my best.” Tammi murmured.

Ruby and Tammi looked at each other, and Ruby pulled her knife out and tried to stab Tammi, but Tammi caught it in mid-air.

“But then again, you always were a lying whore.” Tammi added.

The knife was thrown sideways out of her hands across the wood floor. Tammi and Ruby fought, and Tammi threw Ruby into the TV, but she got up and kicked Tammi and went running past her, and Tammi clotheslines Ruby causing her to fall flat on her back. Tammi pulled Ruby up and threw her into a bookcase and got a fireplace poker from the stand on the hearth, looking at Elizabeth who was still cowering from Tammi, before she walked back to Ruby with the poker in her hand.

“You’re really telling me you threw in your chips with those three here?” Tammi asked.

Ruby tried to get up, and Tammi hit her across the face with the fireplace poker. Elizabeth ran to the altar and dumped a bunch of pins out of a bow onto the cloth with the demonic symbol on it. Elizabeth was unseen by Tammi who was still paying attention to Ruby.

“Come on, get up,” Tammi said.

Ruby was panting and not moving with blood coming out of her nose.

“I said get up!” Tammi yelled. She tossed the poker aside and crouched over Ruby grabbing her by the jacket and pulling her up. “We’ve been here before haven’t we?” she asked. Tammi chuckled to herself and looked over at Sam. “She didn’t tell you?” she asked.

Tammi turned back to Ruby and continued. “Pretty mortifying I guess. She was one of mine. I turned her out a long, long time ago. Ruby here was a witch. Of course, that was when you were human.”

Dean, Sam, and Angela looked surprised even though they were still pinned to their respective walls. Tammi threw Ruby back down onto the debris of the bookcase she crashed through and stood up.

“Didn’t want your friends to know that all those centuries back you sold yourself to me?” Tammi asked. “Embarrassing I guess, but don’t worry love, no secrets where you’re heading remember?”

Tammi began to chant and black smoke rose out of Ruby’s mouth curling and hovering inches above her mouth.

“Monye valack forsa, ulu iri regatta ruac, fieesh nieesh forthsa le inmist infirum forthsa por un betest a te un fornalles ecclaisee i,” Tammi chanted.

Tammi began to cough and Elizabeth was chanting under her breath at the altar. As Tammi coughed harder, Dean and Angela were dropped from the wall and they fell forward. Sam also fell from the wall and dropped to the floor as Tammi brought her hand up to her mouth. Tammi coughed up a handful of pins into her hand, her mouth bleeding in the process. She looked at the pins and raised her right hand and clenched it into a fist. Elizabeth’s breath caught and her eyes went wide as her heart stopped and she fell onto the altar, dead. Dean came up behind Tammi and stabbed her in the back repeatedly with Ruby’s discarded knife. Tammi died as well as the demon that was inside of her and she fell to the floor. Dean looked at Ruby and Angela went to help Sam up and the three of them moved toward the door to stop and look at Ruby.

“Go,” Ruby said. She looked at them slightly embarrassed and wiped the blood away from her mouth. “I’ll clean up this mess.”

Dean and Angela started to walk toward the door, helping Sam on their way.

“Come on,” Dean said.

The three stopped and looked back at Ruby one more time. Ruby turned her eyes black and glared at them.

“Go.”

The three hunters walked out the door and Ruby leaned over Tammi’s body and took her knife out of Tammi’s back and held it up. The knife was covered in blood and smokes.

~/~\~

Sam was splashing his face with water and looked in the mirror above the sink with a worried expression etched on his face. Angela leaned against the bathroom door frame, also worried.

~/~\~

Dean was walking outside of the hotel as the lights flickered, he looked around, and then back to where he originally was looking and saw Ruby standing there in the shadows of the hotel parking lot. Dean walked toward her.

“So the devil may bare, after all, is that what I’m supposed to believe?”

“I don’t believe in the devil,” Ruby replied.

“Wacky night,” Dean said. “So let me get this straight, you were human once, you died, you went to hell, you became a…

“Yeah.” She nodded. 

“How long ago?”

“Back when the plague was big.”

“So all of ‘em, every damn demon, they were all human once.”

“Everyone I’ve ever met.” Ruby shrugged.

“Well, they sure don’t act like it.”

“Most of them have forgotten what it means, or even that they were,” Ruby said. “That’s what happens when you got to hell Dean. That’s what hell is, forgetting who you are.”

“Philosophy lesson from the demon. I’ll pass thanks.”

“It’s not philosophy, it’s not a metaphor.” She said. “There’s a real fire in the pit, agonies you can’t even imagine.”

“No, I saw Hellraiser, I get the gist.”

“Actually they got pretty close, except for all the custom leather.”

Dean looked thoughtful and Ruby stopped her departure and turned back to Dean.

“The answer is yes by the way.”

“I’m sorry?” Dean asked.

“Yes, the same thing will happen to you.” She replied. “It might take centuries, but sooner or later hell will burn away your humanity. Every hell-bound soul, everyone turns into something else. Turns you into us, so yeah, yeah you can count on it.”

“There’s no way of saving me from the pit is there?”

“No.,” she said.

“Then why’d you tell Sam and Angie you could?”

“So they would talk to me. And Angela barely does that. You three can be pretty bigoted.” Ruby replied. “I needed something to help them get past the—

“The demon thing?” Dean raised a brow. “It’s pretty hard to get past.”

“Look at you, tryin’ to be all stoic. My god, it’s heartbreaking.”

“Why are you telling me all this?”

“I need your help.”

“Help with what?”

“With Sam and Angela.” She replied. “The way you stuck that demon tonight, it was pretty tough. Sam’s almost there, but not quite, and Angie’s… well you need to help me get them ready, for life without you; to fight this war by themselves.”

Ruby turned and walked away again.

“Ruby, why do you want us to win?”

Ruby turned back around to face Dean. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m not like them, I, I don’t know why, I wish I was, but I’m not. I remember what it’s like.”

“What what’s like?”

“Being human.”

Dean looked down lost in his thoughts, and when he looked up Ruby had disappeared leaving Dean alone in the parking lot.


	19. Dream a Little Dream of Me Part 1

The bartender turned around, with a bottle in his hand, to a man and a woman. He grabbed a glass and walked down the bar.

“Cheers!” the man exclaimed.

The bartender was pouring a drink and Sam and Angela were sitting, both nursing a drink. Sam was tilting his glass back and forth slowly, almost spilling the contents and Angela was resting her head on his shoulder. They both looked sad and like all hope was gone. Sam also appeared a bit drunk. The door opened behind them and Dean walked in. When he saw Sam and Angela, he walked over, brows furrowed.

“There you two are,” Dean said. “What are you guys doing?”

“Having a drink,” Sam replied.

“Well, a few drinks,” Angela added.

“It’s 2 in the afternoon,” Dean replied. “Drinking whiskey?”

“We drink whiskey all the time,” Angela said.

“No, you don’t,” Dean scoffed.

“What’s the big deal?” Sam asked. “You get sloppy in bars, you hit on chicks all the time,” Sam added. He wrapped an arm around Angela’s waist. “Why can’t I get a bit drunk with my girlfriend?” he mumbled.

Dean looked around and he saw the woman by the bar. She was probably 40 and she wasn’t looking all that good.

“Eh. I dunno, slim pickings. Not my type.” Dean muttered. He turned back to Angela and Sam. “What’s going on with you two?”

Sam shook his head and didn’t say anything for a few moments. He looked completely lost and Angela rubbed small circles on his back.

“We tried, Dean,” Sam mumbled.

Dean looked a bit confused. “To do what?”

“To save you,” Angela said.

Dean sat next to Sam and waved at the bartender. “Could I get a whiskey, double, neat.” 

“We’re serious, Dean,” Sam said.

“No, you two are a tad drunk.” Dean corrected.

“I mean, where you’re going… what you’re gonna become.” Sam looked close to school. He scoffed. “We can’t stop it.” He said. “I’m starting to think maybe even Ruby can’t stop it. But really, the thing is, no one can save you.”

“What I’ve been telling you.” Dean shrugged.

“No, that’s not what I mean,” Sam replied. “I mean, no one can save you because you don’t wanna be saved. I mean, how can you care so little about yourself.”

Dean took in all this, and scoffed, and smiled a little.

“What’s wrong with you?” Sam muttered.

Dean looked over to meet Sam’s eyes and glanced at Angela, but before anyone got a chance to say anything else, Dean’s cell rang.

“Hello?” he asked. “Yes, this is Mr. Sniderson.” He said. He looked surprised. “What?” he frowned. He looked over at Sam and Angela. “Where?”

~/~\~

The Impala was going down the road, quickly.

~/~\~

Bobby was lying in a bed and Dean, Sam, and Angela stood next to his bed.

“So, what’s the diagnosis?” Angela asked.

“We’ve tested everything we can think to test. He seems perfectly healthy.”

“Except that he’s comatose,” Dean replied.

“Mr. Sniderson, you’re his emergency contact.” The Doctor replied. “Anything we should know? Any illnesses?”

“No, he, he never gets sick,” Dean said. “I mean, he doesn’t even catch a cold.”

“Doctor, is there anything you can do?” Sam asked.

“Look, I’m sorry, but we don’t know what’s causing it… so we don’t know how to treat it. He just… went to sleep, and didn’t wake up.”

Sam, Dean, and Angela shared a look and then they looked over at Bobby.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela entered Bobby’s motel room.

“So, what was Bobby doing in Pittsburgh?” Angela asked.

“Unless he’s taking an extremely lame vacation…” Dean started. He closed the door as they walked into the center of the room.

“I mean, he must have been working a job, right?” Angela asked.

They continued to walk around the room.

“Well, you think there’d be some sort of sign or something, you know?” Dean replied.

Sam opened a drawer, but it was empty. Dean and Angela did the same, and that too was empty. The room looked completely clean.

“Research, news clippings…” Dean said.

Sam turned to the closet.

“Or a frigging pizza box or a beer can,” Dean added.

Dean walked away from the dresser he was looking in, and Sam and Angela walked over to the closet. Bobby’s clothes were hanging in there. Angela turned on the light and Dean turned around to them.

“How ‘bout this?” Sam asked.

Sam moved the clothes out of the way and on the wall behind them hung all of the news clippings, maps and pictures they were looking for. There were pictures of roots, mushrooms, seeds, and a map where Bobby had written ‘Pittsburgh’ in big letters and underlined it. There were Post-Its with addresses and numbers. There was a piece of paper about a plant.

Dean chuckled. “Good old Bobby, always covering up his tracks.”

“You make heads or tails of any of this?” Angela asked.

Dean took one of the papers about a plant and read the title of it. “’Silence capensis’, which of course means absolutely nothing to me.”

“Here, obit.” Angela pointed out. She took a newspaper clipping and showed Sam.

“’Dr. Walter Gregg, 64, university neurologist.’” Sam read over her shoulder.

“How’d he bite it?” Dean asked.

“Um… actually, they don’t know,” Sam replied. “They say he just went to sleep and didn’t wake up.”

Dean took the clipping from Angela and read it himself. “That sound familiar to you?”

“Alright, um… so let’s say Bobby was looking into the doc’s death,” Angela said. “You know, hunting after something—

Dean looked down at her. “That started hunting him.”

“Yeah.” She nodded.

“Alright, Sam stay here, Angie come with me,” Dean replied. “Sam, see if you can make heads or tails of this.” He pointed to the closet.

“What are you two gonna do?” Sam asked.

“Look into the good Doctor ourselves.” Angela shrugged. She gave Sam a quick kiss and smiled. “See ya.”

He smiled back at her. “See ya.” 

Dean looked at them. “Sorry to break the moment, but Angie we gotta go.”

“Sorry.” She smiled sheepishly.

Dean and Angela walked to the door.

~/~\~

Books and boxes were cluttered over the office, ready to be packed up and removed. Dean, Angela, and Dr. Gregg’s assistant came in.

“So you’re Dr. Gregg’s lab assistant?” Angela asked.

“That’s right.” She nodded.

“Well, his death must have come as a shock to you,” Dean said.

“Yeah, it did.”

Dean and Angela looked around the office, while Sanders stood behind them.

“But, still, go in your sleep, peaceful… that’s what you wish for, right?”

“Yeah. Right.” Angela nodded. She looked at a book on the Doctor’s desk. “Dr. Gregg uh… studied sleeping disorders?” She picked up the book and held it up for Sanders. “Dreams?”

“I don’t understand,” Sanders replied. “I went over all of this with the other Detective.”

Angela put down the book and looked at her, curious. “You already spoke to another Detective?”

“Yes. A very nice older man with a beard.”

“Well, we’d love to hear it again if you don’t mind.” Dean smiled.

“Thing is, I’m sort of busy,” Sanders replied. “Maybe we could do this later?”

“Sure. Yeah.” Dean nodded. “Just bring you down to the station later this afternoon.” He added. Sander’s face fell. “Get your statement on tape, do it all official-like.”

“Look, okay, I didn’t know about Dr. Gregg’s experiments. Not until I was cleaning out his files.”

Angela looked confused. “His experiments, uh…? The ones he was conducting on sleeping?”

“No one knew, okay?” Sanders replied. “Not the university, not anybody. I already spoke with a lawyer and he told me I can’t be held liable for anything.”

“Maybe you couldn’t, but that was before the new evidence came to light,” Dean said.

“New evidence?”

“Mhm.” Dean nodded.

“What new evidence?”

“We’re not at liberty to say,” Angela said.

Sanders sighed, most likely feeling screwed. “Look, I’m just a grad student, this was a gig to cover tuition.”

“Maybe so.” Dean nodded. “But, uh, still this, this… this could go on your permanent record. Unless you hand over the Doctor’s research to us. All of it.”

Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

~/~\~

Dean and Angela held up their badges, which stated they were Detectives for the Pittsburgh police department. Jeremy moved away from the door so they could come in.

“Look, I don’t know what the RA said, but, ah, I was growing ferns.”

Dean and Angela walked in.

Dean scoffed. “Take it easy, Phish, that’s not why we’re here.”

“Really?”

Angela turned around to him. She had a file in her hands.

Jeremy was relieved. “Oh, thank God. Okay.”

“We wanna talk to you about Dr. Gregg’s sleep study,” Angela said.

“Yeah. Dr. Gregg just died, right?”

“You were one of his test subjects, right?” Angela asked.

“Yeah.” Jeremy nodded. He opened his fridge and took out three beers. He held them up a bit, motioning as a question. He then held two out to Dean and Angela. “Unless you’re on duty or whatever?”

“I’ll pass,” Angela said. 

Dean looked to the door for a second and then decided to go for the beer. “I guess I can make an exception.”

Dean took the bottle and Jeremy grabbed the bottle opener. He opened his bottle as Dean opened his. They held up their beer to each other and then took a swig. Dean closed his eyes as he took in the beer, enjoying the taste. He gave a small smile before continuing with the interview after Angela cleared her throat a bit.

“Now, Dr. Gregg was testing treatments for a, uh, ‘Charcot-Wilbrand syndrome? Which means…?” Dean asked.

“Um... I, uh... I can’t dream. I had this bike accident when I was a kid and banged my head pretty good and I haven’t had a dream since. Till the study. You know. Sort of.”

“What’d the doc give you?” Angela asked.

“It’s this yellow tea,” Jeremy said. “It… it smelled awful, tasted worse.”

“What did it do?” Dean asked.

“Just passed right out. And uh, I had the most vivid, super-intense dream.” Jeremy said. “Like a bad acid trip, you know?”

Dean forgot he was in character. “Totally.” He nodded. Angela smacked his arm, making him remember his role. “I mean, no.”

“That was it. I dropped out of the study right after that. I didn’t… like it. To tell you the truth… it kind of scared me.”

Dean looked at him, thoughtful.

~/~\~

Dean and Angela were sitting by Bobby’s bed, looking at him, thoughtful. Sam entered after a few seconds and Angela went to his side. Dean heard or felt Sam and turned around to look at him. The three shared a look before Sam walked further into the room, his arm around Angela’s waist.

“How is he?” Sam asked.

Dean rubbed his hand over his chin as he turned back to Bobby. Sam walked to stand by the foot of the bed, taking Angela with him. He had files in his hand.

“No change.” Angela murmured, resting her head on Sam’s chest. “What you got?”

Dean got up and walked over to Sam and Angela, to see what he had brought with him.

“Well, considering what you two told me about the doc’s experiments…” Sam sighed. “…Bobby’s wall is starting to make a hell of a lot more sense.”

“How so?” Dean asked.

Sam removed his arm from Angela’s waist and held up a picture of a plant from the folder.

“This plan, Silene capensis, is also known as African Dream Root,” Sam said. “It’s been used by shaman and medicine men for centuries.”

“Let me guess. They dose up, bust out didgeridoos, start kicking around the hockey.” Dean said.

“Not quite,” Sam replied. “If you believe the legends, it’s used for dream walking. I mean, entering another person’s dreams, poking around in their heads.”

“I take it we believe the legends,” Angela said.

“When don’t we?” Sam asked. “But dream walking is just the tip of the iceberg.”

They picked up a paper from the folder that contained info on the root and a drawing of it.

“What do you mean?” Dean asked.

“I mean, this Dream Root is some serious mojo,” Sam replied. “You take enough of it, with practice, you can become a regular Freddy Krueger,” Sam added. “You can control anything. You could turn bad dreams good, you could turn good dreams bad.”

“And killing people in their sleep?” Angela asked.

Sam nodded. “For example.”

Dean sighed.

“So let’s say uh, let’s say this doc was testing this stuff on his patients, Time Leary-style,” Sam said.

“Somebody gets pissed at him, decides to give him a little dream visit, he goes nighty-night,” Dean replied.

“What about Bobby?” Sam asked. He looked over at him. “I mean, if the killer came after him, how come he’s still alive?”

“I don’t know,” Dean muttered.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela came out through a door, probably just leaving Bobby’s room. They walked the hallway.

“So how do we find our homicidal sandman?” Dean asked.

“Could be anyone,” Angela said.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Sam nodded.

“Anyone who knew the Doctor and had access to his dream shrooms,” Dean said.

“Maybe one of his test subjects or something?” Sam asked.

“Possible.” Angela nodded. “But his research was pretty sketchy. I mean… I don’t know how many subjects he had or who all of them were.”

Sam scoffed and Dean and Angela looked at him.

“What?” Dean asked.

Sam let out a loud sigh. “Any other case, we’d be calling Bobby or something and asking him for help right now.”

Dean looked like he just thought of something. He grabbed Sam by his arm to stop him and he looked up at him.

“You know what?” Dean asked. “You’re right.”

“What?” Sam asked.

“Let’s go talk to him.”

Angela looked a little confused. “Sure, I think we might find the conversation a bit one-sided.”

“Not if we’re tripping on some Dream Root.” Dean shrugged.

“What?” Angela asked.

“You heard me.”

“You wanna go dream walking inside Bobby’s head?” Sam asked.

“Yeah. Why not? Maybe we could help.”

“We have no idea what’s crawling around in there,” Angela said.

“How bad could it be?”

“Bad,” Sam said.

“Dude, it’s Bobby.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Sam nodded. He scoffed. “One problem though. We’re fresh out of African Dream Root, so unless you know someone who can score some of it…

“Crap,” Dean said.

“What?” Angela asked.

“Bela,” Dean said.

“Bela?” Sam asked. “Crap.” He said. He scoffed. “You’re actually suggesting we ask her a favor?”

“I’m feeling dirty just thinking about it, but yeah.”

~/~\~

Dean walked away. Sam and Angela didn’t move for a moment. Sam sighed and then both he and Angela followed.

~/~\~

_Sam was sitting by his laptop when a knock on the door sounded. Sam closed the lid on the computer, sighed, and then walked over to the door. He cautiously only opened it a few inches and then when he saw who it was, he opened it completely, walking with it, holding it up. Bela walked in a trench coat._

_“Hey, Sam,” Bela said._

_Sam closed the door as Bela stopped in the room, turned around, and then faced him._

_Sam was annoyed. “Bela, I didn’t think there’s a chance in hell you’d show up.”_

_He stood across from her, putting his hands on his hips. She just smiled at him._

_“Well, I’m full of surprises. Though, truthfully…” she started. She took hold of the belt of her trench coat and began to walk towards Sam. “You wanna know why I’m here?”_

_Sam took a few steps back as Bela came up in front of him. “Okay,”_

_She opened and took off her coat, revealing her in only her underwear. “Because of you.”_

_Sam looked to the side, unsure and a bit embarrassed, as the coat fell to the floor._

_“Uh… what are you doing?” he asked. “I’m with Angie now.” He added._

_He looked down at her and she put her hand on his cheek, her eyes on his lips._

_“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.” She purred. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”_

_Sam was confused. “What?” he asked. “A-and, I-I’m not gonna cheat on her…” he muttered._

_Bela leaned in and kissed him. He was hesitant, but responded nonetheless and put his hand on her arm. The breath in with the kiss and puts her other hand on his waist._

_Sam swallowed thickly as pulled away. “Are you sure?”_

_“Are you?” Bela smirked._

_Sam landed on his back on the bed with Bela on top as the continued to kiss. They rolled over as Bela moaned and ended up beneath Sam._

_“Sam.” She moaned. “Sam. Sam, Oh.” She breathed._

~/~\~

“Sam!” Dean shouted. “Wake up.”

Sam was by the desk, resting his head on his arm. Drool covered his hand and he had a smile on his face. Dean and Angela were sitting in the background, looking through the papers about the case. Sam smiled a little more and then he realized it was a dream. His smiled immediately disappeared and he sat up, wiping his face with the back of his hand. The same hand he had drool on, which he discovered. He wiped his face with his other arm. Dean smiled at him and Angela just looked at him with her brows raised.

“Dude, you were out.” Dean laughed. “Making some serious happy noises.”

Sam looked very uncomfortable and didn’t look over at Dean or Angela.

“Who were you dreaming about?” Dean asked. “Hopefully Angie.” He laughed. 

“What?” Sam asked. “No one. Nothing.”

“Come on, you can tell us,” Dean replied. “Angelina Jolie?”

“No,” Sam muttered.

“Brad Pitt?” Dean asked.

Sam turned around, almost looking at him. “No. No. Dude, it was obviously about my girlfriend.” 

“Nice.” Dean laughed.

“Whatever,” Sam muttered to himself.

“I called Bela,” Angela said.

Sam went still at that and swallowed thickly. He tried covering his voice when he answered.

“Bela?” he asked. “Yeah? She, what’d she… you know, say? She… gonna… help up?”

Angela raised a brow at Sam but continued. “Shockingly, no, which puts us back at square one.” She said. “Dean and I have been trying to decipher the doctor’s notes. Unfortunately, he has worse handwriting that you do.”

Sam was still in his chair, back to Dean and Angela, looking around a little.

“You gonna come help us with this stuff?” Dean asked.

Dean and Angela looked over at him. Sam looked around, and then down to his… well, you know. He looked up, still keeping his back to Dean and Angela.

“Yeah, yeah.” He replied. “Just give me a sec.”

He moved around a bit in his seat, moving his hands around. Suddenly a knock on the door sounded. The three turned in its direction. Sam and Angela stayed in their chairs as Dean got up to open the door. Dean opened the door just inches, just like Sam did in his dream. When he saw who it was, he looked annoyed and opened up the door, walking with it.

“Bela,” Dean said. “As I live and breathe.”

Bela entered, wearing a similar trench coat to the in Sam’s dream, only this one was black and the other one was tanned. Sam reacted to her right away due to the dream and tried to cover up his ‘situation’. Angela eyed Sam slightly, frowning a bit.

“You called me,” Bela said. “Remember?”

“I remember you turning us down.” Angela cut in, walking over.

“Well, I’m just full of surprises.” Bela smiled.

Sam was still in the chair, waved one hand at her while the other was placed to continue to cover things up. He wasn’t looking at her.

“Hey, Bela,” Sam said. “What’s going on?”

Angela looked from her to Sam, and Bela just continued on.

“I brought you your African Dream Root.” She handed over a jar of it to Dean. “Nasty stuff, and not easy to come by.”

She put her bag on the TV and went to open her coat, with her back to Sam.

“Why the sudden change of heart?” Angela asked.

“What? I can’t do you a little favor every now and again?”

Sam got a bit more tense but curious about her as she removed her coat. He obviously got his mind somewhere else.

“No, you can’t,” Dean replied.

The coat fell away and revealed her in a regular shirt, and not naked as Sam was hoping. He let out a breath silently, visibly relaxing a bit more.

“Come on, we wanna know what the strings are before you attach them,” Angela said.

“You said this was for Bobby Singer, right?”

Dean nodded.

“Well, I’m doing it for him. Not you.”

“Bobby? Why?” Dean asked.

“He saved my life once,” Bela replied. “In Flagstaff.”

Dean threw a look Sam’s way and Sam just shrugged. He looked back at her, still not responding to her statement.

“I screwed up and he saved me, okay? You satisfied?”

“Maybe,” Dean said.

She looked at Dean, who was now looking at the jar and at Sam.

“So when do we go on this little magical mystery tour?” Bela asked.

“Oh, you’re not going anywhere,” Angela replied.

“I don’t trust you enough to let you in my car, much less Bobby’s head. No offense.” Dean said.

Sam looked a bit disappointed. Dean walked over to the closet. He turned on the lights and opened up the safe, where the Colt was, and he put the jar of Dream Root with it. Bela, Sam, and Angela were watching him.

“None taken,” Bela said.

Sam looked up at her quickly and Dean closed the safe, locking it. He walked into the room again, where Bela was looking a bit annoyed now.

“It’s 2 am. Where am I supposed to go?”

“Get a room,” Dean replied. “Ah, they got the Magic Fingers, a little Casa Erotica on pay-per-view. You’ll love it.”

“You…” Bela said.

She took her bag in a huff and walked to the door, retrieving her coat on the way. Sam jumped out of his chair calling after her.

“Nice to see… seeing you…” he started.

She slammed the door behind her, ignoring him.

“Bela.” Sam finished.

Dean who was smiling after her took that in and he turned to Sam, a bit confused. Angela folded her arms across her chest and looked at Sam, also confused.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela walked over to the beds. Sam carried one glass cup and Angela carried to cups of the liquid containing the Dream Root. Dean was sitting on the bed, waiting for them. As Sam and Angela came over, Angela handed Dean the cup and Sam handed a cup to her. They both sat down on the other bed.

“Uh, should we dim the lights and sync up Wizard of Oz to Dark Side of the Moon?” Dean asked.

Sam looked over at him, with a smile and Angela laughed.

“Why?” Sam asked.

Dean looked at him, disappointed. “What did you do during college?”

Sam looked at him with his usual ‘huh’ reaction to such questions. Dean went to drink the liquid but Angela stopped him.

“Wait, wait, wait.” She said. “Can’t forget this.”

Dean put the cup and looked over at her as she pulled out a little brown envelope from her jeans pocket. She pulled something out and Dean and Sam reached out their hands, she put it in.

“Here.” She said.

“What the hell is that?”

“Bobby’s hair,” Sam said.

“We have to drink Bobby’s hair?”

“That’s how you control whose dream you’re entering,” Angela replied. “You gotta drink some of their uh… some of their body.”

“Well, guess the hair of the dog is better than other parts of the body,” Dean said.

They put it in and Sam exhaled, getting ready to drink what seemed to be a very disgusting drink. They all raised their cups a bit.

“Bottoms up,” Dean said.

“Yeah.” Sam nodded.

Angela looked up at Sam and kissed him. He kissed her back, smiling into it slightly.

“See ya in a few.” She murmured.

“Yeah. See ya in a few” He nodded.

They put their cups together in a toast and then drank it all up. They all grunted, trying to swallow, which seemed to be a little hard. They smacked their mouths a bit, due to the awful taste. They looked quite disgusted and nothing seemed to have changed.

“Feel anything?”

“No,” Angela muttered. “You feel anything.” She looked at Dean and Sam.

“Nope,” Sam said.

“No.” Dean shook his head. He held up the cup and looked in it. “Maybe we got some bad shwag.”

There was thunder outside and rain pattering on the window. Sam and Angela looked over, a little confused.

“Hey, when did it start raining?” Sam asked.

Dean looked over at the window as well. He got up and started walking to the window, which was covered with white curtains. As he came up to it he pulled the curtains apart to looked outside, and that ran was actually not coming from the sky, but from the ground.

“When did it start raining upside down?” Dean asked. He turned around to Sam and Angela.

They were standing in the same house that Bobby was dreaming about. The looked around a bit, and the window that Dean had been looking through was replaced with a fireplace. The entire bedroom part of the motel had turned into a living room.


	20. Dream a Little Dream of Me Part 2

“Okay, I don’t know what’s weirder. The fact that we’re in Bobby’s head or that he’s dreaming of Better Homes and Gardens.” Dean said.

Dean looked at Sam and Angela while they just looked around the room a bit more.

“Wait. Wait a sec.” Sam looked around. “Imagine the place without the pain job. More cluttered, dusty, books all over the place.”

They all began to move around the living room.

“It’s Bobby’s house,” Angela realized.

“Yeah.” Sam nodded.

“Bobby?” Dean called out in a hushed voice.

As Sam and Angela walked to the opening of the living room, by the stairs, they felt someone watching them. They turned around and kept watching. Finally, Sam and Angela turned back around and walked slowly to the stairs and the person outside moved to get a better view again. Sam looked up towards the top of the stairs.

“Bobby?” Sam whispered.

“Bobby, you there?” Angela asked softly.

Sam looked toward the door, while Dean was still in the living room.

“Dean?” Sam asked.

Dean turned around to Sam and Angela.

“We’re gonna go look outside,” Angela said.

“No, no, no, stay close,” Dean whispered.

“Dude, we’ll be fine,” Sam replied. “Just, look around here. Look, we gotta find him.”

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Dean said.

Sam and Angela nodded and walked to the door.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela came out and the sun was shining. The house was bright blue, with flowers all around, and birds chirping could be heard. Sam and Angela walked out on the porch, a confused look on their faces. The noticed Bobby’s car looked completely new, and the walkway was lined with all kinds of bright, beautiful flowers. While Sam and Angela took this in, the door suddenly slammed shut behind them. They turned around at the sound and went back and tried to open it but it was locked.

“Dean!” Angela yelled.

They walked over to the window next to the door and Sam banged on the wall while looking in. Inside Dean was still looking around the house with his back to Sam and Angela, but he didn’t seem to react to either Angela calling his name or Sam banging on the wall.

“Dean!” Sam shouted.

Sam and Angela walked down the porch.

~/~\~

Dean opened the doors to the kitchen. He walked in, looking around cautiously. He moved through the kitchen towards the hallway on the other side.

“Bobby?” Dean asked.

He walked out into the hallway, where there were two doors. One was across from the kitchen and one was on the left.

“Bobby!” Dean exclaimed.

He turned around as if he heard something and looked down the hallway in the other direction, where there was another closed door.

“Who’s out there?” Bobby asked, scared.

Dean turned back to the door that was on his left when he entered the hallway. He walked over to the door and there were long scratch marks on it. Dean touched them as he went for the doorknob.

“Bobby, you in there?” Dean whispered.

“Dean?” Bobby asked.

“Yeah. It’s me. Open up.”

Bobby opened the door and looked behind Dean.

“Hey,” Dean said.

Bobby moved towards the kitchen, looking scared and looking around to make sure the screaming woman wasn’t there. He was scratched up on his cheek and nose. Dean walked up next to him.

“How in the hell did you find me?” Bobby asked.

“Sam, Angie, and I got our hands on some of that African Dream Root stuff.”

“Dream Root? What?” Bobby asked.

“Dr. Gregg, the experiments?”

Bobby, what was still looking around, threw him a glance. He was terrified. “What the hell are you talking about?” he asked. The lamps began to flicker. “Hurry.”

He ran for the closet again. Dean turned around and grabbed him, trying to figure out what was going on.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,” Dean said. “What’s going on?”

“She’s coming.”

“Okay, you know this is a dream, don’t you?” Dean raised a brow.

“What are you, crazy?” Bobby asked, terrified.

“It’s a dream, Bobby! None of this is real!”

Suddenly the woman was opening the door on the other side of the hallway, behind Dean. Bobby pointed to her.

“Does that look made-up?” Bobby asked.

Dean turned around and the woman was coming out into the hallway. She was wearing a white dress and there was blood on it and her. Suddenly the closet door slammed shut and Bobby turned around, rattling the doorknob to make it open. Dean looked at him and then when Bobby turned around, Dean looked back at the woman. She now looked rather normal except for a few scratched on her chest and neck. Even her hair was styled in a regular fashion. She didn’t look happy though.

“Bobby, who is that?” Dean asked.

Bobby had tears in his eyes now, but not from being terrified. “She’s… she’s my wife.”

The woman’s expression wasn’t as hard now, she was just looking back at Dean and Bobby. Dean looked from Bobby to her and back again.

~/~\~

The three were lying on their beds, knocked out. Dean even had his cup still in his hand. Sam’s cup was one the floor between the beds and his arm was hanging above it. Angela’s was next to her on the bed, and her head was resting on Sam’s chest. They were all on their backs.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela came around the house. There was a little pond and loads of beautiful flowers. Sam and Angela walked further into the backyard, just looking around.

“Why Bobby?” Bobby’s wife asked from inside the house.

~/~\~

“Why did you do this to me?”

They were now standing in the kitchen, by the living room, and his wife was standing in the doorway leading to the hall. At her words, Bobby turned around.

“I’d rather died myself than hurt you,” Bobby replied.

“But you did hurt me.” She said. “You shoved that knife into me. Again and again. You watched me bleed. You watched me die.”

Dean came up behind Bobby and grabbed hold of him. “Bobby, she’s not real.”

Bobby didn’t respond to Dean, his eyes were trained on his wife.

“How could you?”

Bobby was close to crying now. “You were possessed, baby. You were rabid. And I didn’t know what I know now. I didn’t know how to save you.”

“You’re lying. You wanted me dead. If you’d loved me,” she started. “You would’ve found a way!” she screamed.

“I’m sorry,” Bobby said.

Dean grabbed hold of him again, more forcefully this time. “Come on.”

He dragged him into the living room and as he began to slide the doors closed, Bobby’s wife ran for the doors, screaming.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were walking by a line of washed sheets, drying in the wind. When Sam turned around, Jeremy showed up with a bat, swinging, hitting him hard in the chest and shoulder. Angela turned around, wide-eyed and Jeremy swung, hitting her in the leg and arm.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela flinched from the blows.

~/~\~

Sam fell to the ground with the hit and Angela fell too, clutching her leg.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were on the ground, Sam was holding his shoulder and Jeremy stood over them.

“Who are you?” Sam asked.

“Jeremy?” Angela frowned.

Sam looked at her. “You know him?”

“Dean and I interviewed him…” she replied.

Jeremy nodded and looked at Sam. “Who are you?” he asked. “You two don’t belong here.” 

“You’re one to talk.” Sam scoffed. “You’re in my friend’s head.”

“You got a poor choice in friends,” Jeremy replied. “This is self-defense. He came after me. He wanted to hurt me.”

“Maybe because you’re a killer,” Angela said.

“You two should be nicer to me. In here… you two are just insects. I’m a god.”

~/~\~

Bobby’s wife was jumping and banging on the doors to the living room, screaming.

“I’m telling you, all of it,” Dean said. “Your house, your wife, it’s a nightmare.”

Dean was standing by the doors, keeping them closed. Bobby was standing across from him, just looking at him. His wife continued to bang and scream. Dean finally grabbed a wire ti tie around the door handles.

“I killed her,” Bobby said crying.

“Bobby!” Dean replied. “This is your dream that you can wake up from. I mean, hell, you can do anything.”

He tied the doors together just as Bobby walked up behind him.

“Just leave me alone,” Bobby said. “Let her kill me already.”

Dean grabbed hold of him, trying to get him to wake up, to snap out of it all.

“Look at me,” Dean said. “Look at me. You gotta snap out of this now. You gotta snap out of this now! You’re not gonna die. I’m not gonna let you die. I’m not gonna let you die. You’re like a father to me. You gotta believe me, please.”

They looked at each other for a moment. Bobby looked once at the door his wife was still banging on and screaming behind, and then he looked back at Dean.

“I’m dreaming?”

“Yes,” Dean said. “Now take control of it.”

Bobby looked towards the door, and then closed his eyes tightly and suddenly all the banging and screaming stopped. Dean let go of him and walked over to the doors. He removed the cable and slid the doors open, revealing an empty kitchen. Bobby’s wife was nowhere in sight.

“I don’t believe it,” Bobby said.

Dean turned around and looked at him, breathing heavily. “Believe it. Now would you please wake up?”

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were still on the ground and Jeremy was standing over them.

“Sweet dreams,” Jeremy said.

He raised the bat and Angela pulled up her arm to take the impact. Sam immediately pulled her to him, ready to take the blow. Jeremy swung the bat down hard.

~/~\~

Dean, Sam, and Angela woke up with a force, sitting up on their beds, panting.

~/~\~

The three were panting and Dean looked down at his cup. They all looked over at each other.

~/~\~

Bobby was sitting in bed, looking over the papers from the investigation. Dean was sitting on the bed next to him.

“Hey, Bobby,” Dean said. “That, uh… that stuff, all that stuff with your wife?”

Bobby looked over at him.

“That actually happen?”

“Everybody got into hunting somehow.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. If it weren’t for you, I’d still be lost in there. Or dead.” Bobby replied. “Thank you.”

Dean only responded with a twitch of his lips. Sam and Angela came in hand and hand after that, seeing the guys sharing a look.

“So, uh, stoner boy wasn’t in his dorm,” Sam said.

“Our guess is he’s long gone by now,” Angela added.

“He ain’t much of a stoner,” Bobby replied. He picked up a picture of Jeremy, looking at it.

“No?” Dean asked.

“No. His name’s Jeremy Frost. Full-on genius. Hundred-and-sixty IQ. Which is sayin’ some, considering his dad took a baseball bat to his head.”

Dean nodded at that. Bobby picked up another paper and handed it to Sam.

“Here’s Father of the Year,” Bobby said.

It was a copy of a driver’s license for Jeremy’s dad. Henry David Frost.

“He died before Jeremy was 10,” Bobby added.

Angela looked at it. “Looks like a real sweetheart.”

“Injury gave him Charcot-Wilbrand, he hasn’t dreamt since.”

Sam put the paperback on the little side table.

“Till he started dosing the dream drug,” Dean said.

“Yep.” Bobby nodded.

“How’d he know how to dig up your worst nightmare and throw it at you?” Dean asked.

“He was rooting around in my skull. God knows what he saw in there.”

“Yeah.” Sam nodded. “How’d he get in there in the first place? Isn’t he supposed to have some of your hair, your DNA, or something?”

“Yeah,” Dean said.

“Yeah.” Bobby nodded. “Before I knew it was him, he offered me a beer. I drank it. Dumbest frigging thing.”

Dean and Angela shared a look, both of them realizing that he’d done the same thing.

“Dean…” Angela started.

“Oh, I don’t know. It wasn’t _that_ dumb.” Dean laughed nervously.

Sam and Bobby both looked at him with that comment. Angela just sighed.

“Dean, you didn’t,” Sam said.

“He did,” Angela muttered.

“Did you?” Sam asked her.

She shook her head. “No, I didn’t.”

Dean shrugged. “I was thirsty.” 

Sam was angry. “That’s great, now he can come after either one of you.”

“Well, now we just have to find him first,” Dean said.

“We better work fast and coffee up. Because one thing we cannot do is fall asleep.” Bobby replied.

~/~\~

Dean was behind the wheel, Sam was sitting next to him, and Angela was in the back. Dean was clearly pissed over the whole situation.

“I mean, this Jeremy guy’s not a frigging ghost,” Dean said. “Where the hell could he be?”

“Dean, you sure you don’t want me or Angie to drive?” Sam asked. “You seem a little…” he started.

Dean looked over at him.

“…caffeinated.” Sam finished.

“Thanks for the news flash, Edison.” Dean snarked.

Dean’s cell rang. He tried to get hold of it but it turned out it was a bit hard and he muttered indistinctly. He finally got it up.

“Tell me you got something,” Dean said.

“Strip club was a bust, huh?” Bobby asked.

“Yeah.”

“That was our last lead.”

“What the hell, Bobby!”

“Don’t yell at me, boy. I’m working my ass off here.”

“Sorry, I’m sorry. I’m just… I’m, I’m, I’m tired.”

Bela was using her spirit board and tarot cards to find help from the dead.

“Well, who ain’t?”

“What’s Bela got?”

Bobby turned to Bela. “What do you got, Bela?”

“Sorry. Sometimes the spirit world is in a chatty mood, and sometimes it isn’t.”

“She’s got nothing,” Bobby said to Dean.

“Great! Well, I’m just gonna go blow my brains out now!”

He flipped the phone closed and threw it in his lap. He hit the steering-wheel grunting angrily.

~/~\~

The Impala came down the road. Suddenly Dean turned the car on a side road instead of continuing on. When they got to a clearing in the woods, he shut off the engine.

“Alright, that’s it. I’m done.”

“What are you doing?” Angela asked.

Dean slid down a bit in his seat, resting his head on the back of it. “Taking myself a long overdue nap.”

“What?” Angela asked. “Dean, Jeremy can come after you.”

“That’s the idea.”

“Excuse me?” Sam asked.

“Come on guys, we can’t find him, so let him come to me.”

“On his own turf?” Angela asked.

“Where he’s basically a god?” Sam added.

“I can handle it.”

“Not alone, you can’t,” Angela said. She reached over and pulled out some of Dean’s hair.

“Ow!” he yelped. He touched his head where Angela grabbed some hair. He looked back at her. “What are you doing?”

“Coming with you.” She said. She handed Sam some of Dean’s hair.

“No, you’re not. Neither of you are.”

“Why not?” Sam asked. “At least then it’ll be three against one.”

Dean didn’t have a response first, opening and closing his mouth. “’Cause I don’t want you two digging around in my head. Especially Angie…”

“Too bad,” Angela said.

Sam went for the items to make the liquid and Dean just looked at Sam and Angela for a moment.

~/~\~

They were all asleep, leaning on the doors of the Impala. Sam woke up first, clearing his throat. He leaned back and shook Angela, who stirred and woke up, blinking. The car is right where it was before the fell asleep.

“Dean,” Sam said.

Angela smacked Dean on the shoulder and Dean woke up forcefully.

“Jeez. For the love of God.” Dean muttered. He looked around a bit, looking extremely tired. “What are we still doing here?”

“I have no idea,” Sam said.

“Neither do I…” Angela agreed.

A sound could be heard from outside the car.

“There’s someone out there,” Sam said.

~/~\~

They got out of the car, looking around. As they walked in front of the car, music could suddenly be heard. Dean looked behind him and then he turned around, a corner of the clearing lit up, and there sat Lisa on a little blanket with a picnic basket. Dean just looked at her and she smiled up at him.

“Hey.” She said. “You gonna sit down?”

Dean didn’t move, he just looked at her. She had a glass of red wine in her hand and she reached for another glass in the basket.

“Come on. We only have an hour before we have to pick Ben up from baseball.”

She held the glass for him, giving him another small smile. Sam and Angela stood a bit behind Dean, taking all this in as Dean just looked at her. He looked over at Sam and Angela.

“I’ve never had this dream before.” He said.

He turned back, away from them. Sam and Angela took a few steps towards him.

“Stop looking at me like that, guys,” Dean said.

“Sorry,” Sam said.

“I think it’s sweet, Dean.” Angela smiled softly.

“Dean. I love you.” Lisa said.

She smiled and suddenly her entire scene shook and bother, the picnic, the light, and the music disappeared. Dean looked around, Sam and Angela turned around, doing the same.

“Where’d she go?” Dean asked.

Sam was looking into the woods and suddenly Jeremy came out from behind a tree.

“Dean. Angie.” Sam said.

He took after Jeremy, who ran off. Dean and Angela quickly followed Sam and they ran into the woods. Dean lost track of Sam and Angela but kept running in the same direction. Suddenly he stopped and turned, looking around confused.

“Okay,” Dean said.

Suddenly Dean was standing in a hallway with doors on both sides.

~/~\~

Sam was still running through them, in pursuit of Jeremy. He came to a clearing, where he stopped, panting, looking around.

“Dean?! Angie?!” he yelled.

~/~\~

Angela looked around, confused. Suddenly she was in an empty room. Well, empty except for the person standing in the corner.

She eyed the person. “Hello?”

~/~\~

Dean was walking down the hallway towards a door at the end of it. Before he reached it, it suddenly opened up slowly. Dean stopped, watching. The door glided open more, revealing a motel room.

~/~\~

Suddenly the person standing in the corner walked up to Angela. Angela went wide-eyed. She was face to face with herself. The other Angela smirked at her, her arms folded across her chest.

“Oh my God…” the real Angela breathed.

~/~\~

Clicking could be heard, as Dean entered the room. As he came in, he noticed the motel room looked exactly like the one he, Sam, and Angela were staying in. Across the room from the door, sat a man on the chair by the desk. Dean walked further into the room, watching him.

“Jeremy?” Dean asked.

The man kept clicking the on and off button for the lamp on the desk, his back to Dean. He clicked the lamp on, and the man was… Dean. He turned his head towards Dean, and he didn’t look very nice. Dean saw that the man was himself. Dream Dean slowly stood up and turned to Dean, who swallowed at the sight of himself. Dream Dean didn’t look so hard anymore.

“Hey, Dean.” Dream Dean said.

“Well, aren’t you a handsome son of a gun,” Dean replied.

He smiled.

“We need to talk.” Dream Dean said.

~/~\~

Dream Angela kept smirking. “Heya, Angie.” She said. “We need to have a little conversation.”

Angela swallowed nervously. “About?” 

“Sam.” Dream Angela replied. “I mean, honestly, do you really think he’ll stay with you with that Ruby chick around?”

~/~\~

Dean nodded and began to walk in a circle, as did Dream Dean. They were walking in the same direction just across from each other.

“I get it. I get it.” Dean said. “I’m my own worst nightmare, is that it? Huh? Kind of like the Superman III junkyard scene? A little mano y mano with myself?”

“Joke all you want, smart-ass.” Dream Dean replied. “But you can’t lie to me. I know the truth.”

The stopped walking, now having changed places. Dean stood by the desk, Dream Dean by the door.

~/~\~

“What? And my worst nightmare is losing Sam to some demon?” Angela asked.

“Well yeah.” Dream Angela laughed. “I know you. You think you’re not good enough for Sam.” She added. She leaned in close. “And you’re right. You’re not. See, Ruby’s helping him. You’re just slowing him down.”

“Shut up,” Angela growled.

“I guess the only way to keep Sam around is to maybe side with him and Ruby.” Dream Angela shrugged. “But that may not even work, who knows.”

“I said shut up,” Angela repeated.

~/~\~

“I know how dead you are inside.” Dream Dean said. “How worthless you feel. I know how you look into a mirror… and hate what you see.”

“Sorry, pal. It’s not gonna work.” Dean said. “You’re not real.” He smiled.

“Sure I am. I’m you.”

“I don’t think so. ‘Cause see, this is my siesta. Not yours.” Dean said. He raised his left hand. “All I gotta do is snap my fingers and you go bye-bye.”

He snapped his fingers once, and nothing happened. Dean snapped again, noticing nothing was happening. Dream Dean just watched him. He snapped them three more times and then let his hand fall to his side. His smile was gone, but his eyebrows were raised at this. Dream Dean gave him a nod and looked at him, clearly saying ‘see’.

“I’m not going anywhere. Neither are you.” Dream Dean said.

The door slammed shut behind him and locked. All the smiles were gone from Dean’s features, taking in the seriousness.

“Like I said…” Dream Dean started. He raised his right hand, which now had a pistol-grip sawed-off. “…we need to talk.”

~/~\~

Dream Angela smirked. “Look who’s getting defensive.” She smirked. “I’m just saying sweetheart, better be careful. Because who knows how long Sammy’ll put up with your pathetic ass.”

Dream Angel snapped her fingers.

~/~\~

A bang could be heard, and Sam and Angela woke up. Sam gasped and Angela was breathing heavily. Sam looked back at her.

“Angie!” he said. “Oh, thank God.” He added.

She looked up at him, not responding, still shaken up. She looked over at Dean, who was still asleep.

“Dean.” She said.

Sam hit him on the arm. “Hey,” 

But it wasn’t Dean, in fact, it was Jeremy who was very much awake.

“Wake up,” Angela said.

Sam hit him on the arm two more times and then Jeremy turned around, with a hard evil look. Sam and Angela only had a second to respond and take in that it was Jeremy and not Dean, and then Jeremy hit Sam hard in the stomach with the tip of the bat he used earlier in Bobby’s dream. He turned and hit Angela hard in the stomach too.

She groaned and moved to open the door. Sam grunted and opened his door.

~/~\~

Sam fell out through the door, face first, still grunting over in pain. Jeremy came around the front of the car, the bat resting against his shoulder. Angela managed to get out of the car and winced in pain. She started walking up behind Jeremy.

“Boy, you just don’t know when to leave well enough alone, do you?” Jeremy asked. He sensed someone behind him and turned around. “And neither do you, sweetheart.” He added. He took the end of the bat and hit her in the head.

Angela fell to the ground, knocked out.

“Angela!” Sam yelled.

As Jeremy walked towards Sam, who had reached the back of the Impala still on the ground, he closed the door Sam fell out through and continued walking up to him. Towering over Sam who was now turned over, looking up at him, still moving backward.

“You’re a psycho,” Sam said. “And you’re in a world of hurt for hurting my girlfriend like that.”

“You’re wrong,” Jeremy said. “And we’ll see about that.”

“Yeah? Tell that to Dr. Gregg.”

“The doc? No, no. The doc’s the one that got me hooked on this stuff and then he took it away.”

Sam was lying still on the ground, looking up at him. He leaned on the Impala, raising the bat, holding it like he was about to swing, looking down at Sam.

“But I needed it, and he wouldn’t let me have it.”

“So you killed him?” Sam asked.

“I can dream again. You know what that’s like, not being able to dream? You never rest, not really. It’s like being awake for 15 years.”

“And let me guess. That makes you go crazy?”

Jeremy leaned down towards Sam, holding the bat out at him. “I just wanna be left alone. I just wanna dream.”

“Sorry. Can’t do that.”

“That’s the wrong answer.”

Sam was suddenly pulled flat against the ground. He began to breathe heavily. Suddenly Sam was tied to railroad spokes, unable to move.

“I’m getting better and better at this. Stronger and stronger all the time.”

He was still standing by Sam’s feet, now examining the bat. Sam looked to the side, and Jeremy looked down at him.

“But you, your brother and your girlfriend? You’re not waking up. Not this time. I’m not gonna let you.”

Sam looked up at him.

~/~\~

“I mean, you’re going to hell and you won’t lift a finger to stop it.” Dream Dean said.

Dream Dean and Dean had begun circling each other again.

“Talk about low self-esteem.” Dream Dean said. He chuckled. “Then again, I guess it’s not much of a life worth saving, now is it?”

“Wake up, Dean. Come on, wake up.” Dean said to himself.

“I mean, after all, you’ve got nothing outside of Sam and Angie.” Dream Dean continued.

They stopped circling each other. They were now back in their original positions. Dean by the door, Dream Dean by the desk.

“You are nothing. You’re as mindless and obedient as an attack dog.”

Dean smiled a little. “That, That’s not true.”

“No?” Dream Dean asked. “What are all the things that you want? What are the things that you dream? I mean, your car? That’s Dad’s. Your favorite leather jacket? Dad’s. Your music? Dad’s. Do you even have an original thought?”

Dean scoffed, not wanting to admit to anything.

“No. No, all there is, is, ‘Watch out for Sammy. Look out for your little brother, boy!’ You can still hear your Dad’s voice in your head, can’t you?”

He motions with the weapon to his head.

“Clear as a bell.”

Dean smiled. “Just shut up.”

“I mean, think about it…” Dream Dean started. He began to walk towards Dean, whose smile was fading now. “…all he ever did was train you, boss you around.” He said. They were now standing face to face. “But Sam… Sam he doted on. Sam, he loved.”

“I mean it. I’m getting angry.”

“Dad knew who you really were. A good soldier and nothing else. Daddy’s blunt little instrument.” Dream Dean said. “Your own father didn’t care whether you lived or died. Why should you?” he added angrily.

“Son of a bitch!” Dean yelled, angry.

He pushed Dream Dean hard, and hit the wall above the desk, landing on it.

“My father was an obsessed bastard!”

Dream Dean tried to get up and Dean kicked him down on the desk again. He held the weapon like a bat and hit Dream Dean once and then pinned him to the wall with it.

“All that crap he dumped on me, about protecting Sam. That was his crap. He’s the one who couldn’t protect his family. He—

Dean stepped back and swung the weapon again, hitting Dream Dean twice.

“He’s the one who let Mom die.”

He pinned Dream Dean again.

“Who wasn’t there for Sam. I always was! He wasn’t fair! I didn’t deserve what he put on me.”

He backed away from Dream Dean.

“And I don’t deserve to go to hell!”

He shot Dream Dean twice in the chest. As he lowered the weapon and looked at Dream Dean, we saw the latter was dead. There was blood spatter on Dream Dean’s face and his eyes were closed.

~/~\~

Jeremy was hitting Sam repeatedly on his legs and knees, both with the bat and with his feet. Sam was grunting through the assault, not able to move.

~/~\~

Dean approached Dream Dean on the desk, looking at him. Suddenly Dream Dean’s eyes flickered open and they were completely black, as when a demon possesses a human. Dean widened his eyes at that. Demon Dean sat up, looking into Dean’s eyes.

“You can’t escape me, Dean. You’re gonna die. And this, this is what you’re gonna become.” Demon Dean said angrily.

~/~\~

Jeremy was now standing over Sam, the bat hovering above Sam’s chest.

“You can’t stop me. There’s nothing I can’t do in here.”

Sam panted. “Because of the Dream Root.”

“That’s right.”

“Yeah? Well, you’re forgetting something.”

Jeremy now held the bat, ready to swing down on Sam.

“What’s that?”

Sam looked up at him. “I took the Dream Root too.” He smiled.

“Jeremy!” a man yelled.

As Jeremy turned around he saw his father, Henry, standing at the edge of the woods.

“Jeremy!”

“No. No.”

Henry began walking towards him.

“Dad?”

“You answer me when I’m talking to you, boy.”

Jeremy backed away from Sam and Henry. He no longer had the bat in his hands.

“No.”

Suddenly Sam showed up and hit Jeremy across his face with the bat.

~/~\~

Demon Dean stood up.

~/~\~

Sam hit Jeremy again.

~/~\~

Demon Dean disappeared and there was a flash.

~/~\~

The three hunters woke up. They looked over at one another and then looked away. Dean was clearly taken by what just happened.

~/~\~

Bobby and Sam came around the corner and walked down the hallway together. Sam had a key to the room in his hands.

“So you did a little dream-weaving of your own in there, huh?”

“Yeah.” Sam nodded. “I just sort of concentrated and it happened, you know?”

“Didn’t have anything to do with… you know, you psychic stuff?”

Sam looked at him, and they stopped walking. Bobby turned and looked at him.

“No. I mean, I don’t think so.”

Bobby nodded. “Good. Good.”

They continued walking down the hallway.

~/~\~

Dean was on the phone with his back to the door. Angela was on one of the beds, thinking. Dean closed the phone and when he heard the lock being unlocked he turned around, and Sam and Bobby entered.

“Hey, you guys seen Bela?” Dean asked. “She’s not in her room. She’s not answering her phone.”

They closed the door and came in.

“She must’ve taken off or something.” Sam shrugged.

“Just like that? It’s a little weird.” Angela said.

“Yeah well, if you ask me what’s weird is why she helped us in the first place,” Bobby replied.

“I thought you saved her life.” Dean frowned.

Bobby was confused. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“The thing in Flagstaff,” Angela said.

Sam turned and looked at Bobby.

“That thing in Flagstaff was an amulet. I gave her a good deal, that’s all.” Bobby replied.

Dean and Angela looked confused at that, and Dean closed his mouth. Sam turned around and looked at him, confused. He turned back to Bobby.

“Well, then why did y-?” Sam started.

“You three better check your pockets.”

Sam reached into his pockets, as did Dean. Angela rolled her eyes and walked over.

“He doesn’t mean literally.” She said.

Dean stopped what he was doing and looked up at Sam and then turned to the safe in the closet. Sam and Angela, who were looking at Dean, did the same.

“No, no, no, no,” Dean said walking.

He went over to the safe and opened it up. It was empty.

“The Colt,” Angela said.

Dean looked over at her and slammed the safe sit.

“Bela stole the Colt,” Sam said.

“Dammit, guys!” Bobby exclaimed.

“Pack your crap,” Dean said. He walked over to his bag on the couch.

“Why? Where are we going?” Sam asked.

Dean turned to him. “We’re gonna go hunt the bitch down.”

~/~\~

The three were standing by the open trunk, Dean was zipping his bag closed and Sam and Angela put their own in there.

“Hey, Sam, Angie. I was wondering. When you were in my head, what did you two see?”

Angela swallowed thickly. “Well, first I was separated from you and Sam, and then I was with Sam and Jeremy knocked me out.”

Sam nodded. “Uh, just Jeremy. He kept me separated from you. Easier to beat my brains out that way, I guess.” Sam said. Dean scoffed. “What about you? You never said.”

Dean shook his head. “Nothing. I was looking for you two the whole time.”

Dean took his keys out of the lock to the trunk and closed it. They got into the car.

~/~\~

Sam sighed as he sat down. Dean looked thoughtful for a while.

“Sam. Angie.”

They looked over at him.

“Yeah?” Angela asked.

Dean didn’t look at them. He cleared his throat. “I’ve been doing some thinking. And… well, the thing is… I don’t wanna die.”

Sam and Angela’s expressions softened, saddened.

“I don’t wanna go to hell.”

Sam swallowed, not answering right away. He nodded his head softly.

“Alright. Yeah. We’ll find a way to save you.” He said softly.

Dean looked over at him, and then looked away nodding. He looked back at Sam, and then Angela, a little smile on his lips.

“Okay, good.”

Sam and Angela nodded at him, reassuringly.


	21. Mystery Spot Part 1

Sam’s eyes were closed and he and Angela were sleeping peacefully.

 _“Heat of the moment…”_ the radio played

Sam’s eyes snapped open.

Sam sat up in bed, and Angela followed suit, leaning up to kiss him softly. He kissed back sleepily and she pulled away smiling.

“Morning.” She murmured.

“Morning.” He smiled at her.

 _“Telling you what your heart is…”_ the radio continued.

“Rise and shine, lovebirds!” Dean said, sitting on the bed, tying his shoes.

“Dude,” Sam said. “Asia?”

“Come on, you love this song and you know it,” Dean replied.

“Yeah, and if I ever hear it again I’m gonna kill myself,” Sam mumbled.

Angela shrugged. “I dunno, it isn’t so bad.”

Dean turned up the volume and looked at Sam. “What? Sorry, couldn’t hear you.”

 _“It was the heat of the moment…”_ the radio played loudly.

Dean started bopping along. Sam shook his head and Angela laughed.

 _“Heat of the moment. Heat of the moment. Showed in your eyes…”_ the radio continued.

~/~\~

Dean gargled loudly and for long time. Angela looked up at him, her brow raised as she brushed her teeth. Sam tried to ignore him long enough to brush his teeth. Dean grinned.

~/~\~

“Whenever you’re ready, Dean,” Sam said.

Dean pulled out a black bra. “This your girlfriend’s?” 

Angela blushed furiously. “Dean!” she exclaimed. “Put it back.” She glared.

Dean laughed, rummaged in the bag some more, and pulled out a gun. “Bingo.” He said. He went past Sam and Angela to the door. “Now who’s ready for some breakfast?”

~/~\~

The door chimed as Sam, Dean, and Angela entered. The cashier gave Mr. Pickett some change.

“Drive safely now, Mr. Pickett.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Order up.” A cook in the background said.

The three hunters found a booth.

“Can’t stay unless you order something, Cal. You know the rules.” A waitress said.

Cal passed her some change. “Some coffee.”

Dean noticed a poster on the wall. “Hey. Tuesday. Pig in a poke.”

“You even know what that is?” Angela asked.

The waitress, whose nametag said Doris came over. “You three ready?”

“Yes.” Dean nodded. “I’ll have the special, side of bacon and a coffee.”

“Make it to coffees and a short stack.”

“Just a coffee for me, thanks,” Angela said.

“You got it,” Doris replied.

“I’m telling you, guys, this job’s small fry,” Dean said. “We should be spending our time hunting down Bela.”

“Okay, sure, let’s get right on that, where is she again?” Sam asked.

“Shut up,” Dean replied.

“Look, believe me, I want to find her as bad as you do.” Angela shrugged. “In the meantime, we have this.”

Sam pulled out some papers.

“All right, so this professor,” Dean said.

The headline on the newspaper clipping read ‘Missing- Dexter Hasselback Last Seen In Broward, Florida’.

“Dexter Hasselback was passing through town last week when he vanished,” Sam said.

“Last known location?” Dean asked.

“His daughter says he was on his way to visit the Broward County Mystery Spot,” Angela said.

Dean turned over a flyer. The front had a large question mark and the words ‘Broward County Mystery Spot’. The back said ‘E=MC2?’, ‘A=R2?’ and F=GM1M2/R22?’ below the lines Dean read aloud.

“Where the laws of physics have no meaning.” He said.

Doris arrived with a tray with three coffees and a bottle of hot sauce.

“Three coffees, black, and some hot sauce for the—

Doris gasped as the hot sauce fell off the tray and smashed on the floor.

“Whoops. Crap! Sorry. Cleanup!” she said.

~/~\~

A dog barked as Sam, Dean, and Angela passed. Dean grabbed the Mystery Spot flyer from Sam’s hands.

“Guys, joints like this are only tourist traps, right?” Dean said. “I mean, you know, balls rolling uphill, furniture nailed to the ceiling, they’re only dangerous to your wallet.”

“Okay, look, we’re just saying, there are spots in the world where holes open up and swallow people,” Angela replied. “The Bermuda Triangle, uh, the Oregon Vortex—

“Broward Country Mystery Spot?” Dean asked.

“Well, sometimes these places are legit.” Sam shrugged.

“All right, so if it is legit, and that’s a big-ass if, what’s the lore?”

“Well—Sam started.

Dean collided with a blonde girl, who was carrying a stack of paper.

“Excuse me.” She said.

“The lore’s pretty frigging nuts, actually,” Sam said. “They say these places the magnetic fields are so strong that they can bend space-time, sending victims no one knows where.”

“Sounds a little X-Files to me,” Dean replied.

The three passed two movers trying to get a desk in a door.

“Told you it wouldn’t fit.” The first one said.

“What do you want, a Pulitzer?” the second asked.

“All right, look, we’re not saying this is really happening, but if it is, we gotta check it out, see if we can do something,” Angela said.

“All right, all right, we’ll go tonight after they close, get ourselves a nice long look,” Dean replied.

~/~\~

The hallway was neon green with a black double spiral painted on the walls and door. The door opened to reveal Sam, Dean, and Angel with flashlights. Sam closed the door behind them. They moved up the hallway. Sam pulled out the EMF reader. Dean and Angela shined the flashlights around and up onto a table, lamp, and ashtray attached upside down to the ceiling.

“Wow. Uncanny.” Dean said.

Sam examined another table with a wine glass and a poultry dinner, this one at an angle to the floor. They all moved on.

“Find anything?” Dean asked.

Sam held up the unresponsive EMF meter. “No.”

“You two have any idea what you’re looking for?” Dean asked.

“Uh, yeah.” Sam nodded.

Dean raised his eyebrows.

“No,” Angela admitted.

Dean shook his head. They shined their flashlights around the other parts of the room.

“What the hell are you doing here?” the owner asked.

Sam and Angela turned to look. Dean pointed his flashlight and handgun at the voice. The owner had a gun aimed at Dean. Dean pointed his gun elsewhere.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, we can explain,” Dean said.

The owner pointed the gun at Angela. “You robbing me?”

“Look, nobody’s robbing you, calm down,” Angela replied.

He pointed the gun back at Dean. “Don’t move!”

“Just putting the gun down,” Dean said.

The owner fired. Dean fell.

“Dean!” Sam and Angela yelled.

The rushed to Dean. Dean struggled to breathe.

“Hey!” Angela said.

Sam looked at the owner. “Call 911.”

“I, I didn’t mean to—

“Now!” Sam yelled.

The owner left.

“Hey, hey, oh, no, no, no, not like this…” Angela whispered.

Dean went still. His eyes closed. Sam and Angela watched, devastated.

~/~\~

 _“Heat of the moment…”_ the radio played.

Sam’s eyes snapped open. Sam sat up in bed, Angela following suit. They both stared around.

 _“Telling you what your heart is…”_ the radio continued.

“Rise and shine, lovebirds!” Dean said.

Dean was sitting on the other bed, tying his shoes. Sam and Angela stared at him, then Sam glanced at the clock radio.

 _“The heat of the moment… Showed in your eyes.”_ The radio played.

“Dude. Asia.” Dean said.

“Dean.” Angela murmured.

“Oh, come on Angie, you love this song and you know it,” Dean said.

Dean turned the volume up and started bopping along, exactly like the first time. Sam and Angela stared after him.

~/~\~

Dean gargled loudly and annoyingly. Sam drank some water, swished, and spit. Angela continued brushing her teeth. Dean noticed their lack of reaction and spit out his mouthful.

“What?” Dean asked.

“I don’t know,” Sam muttered.

“You two all right?” Dean asked.

“I think I..." Sam started, glancing at Angela. He paused for a moment. “Man, I had a weird dream.”

“Me too…” Angela murmured.

“Yeah? Clowns or midgets?” Dean asked.

~/~\~

The door chimed as Sam, Dean, and Angela entered. The cashier gave Mr. Pickett some change.

“Drive safely now, Mr. Pickett.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

The three hunters found a booth. Sam and Angela stared around, bewildered.

“Can’t stay unless you order something, Cal. You know the rules.”

Cal passed her some change. “Coffee.”

Dean noticed a poster on the wall. “Hey. Tuesday. Pig in a poke.”

Angela glanced between Dean and the poster. She frowned. “It’s Tuesday?”

“Yeah.” Dean nodded.

“Are you three ready?” Doris asked.

“Yes, I’ll have the special, side of bacon and a coffee.”

Sam stared for a minute. “Uh, nothing for me, thanks.”

Angela swallowed thickly. “Same here, I’m good.”

“Let me know if you two change your minds,” Doris replied.

“I’m telling you, guys, this job’s small fry,” Dean said. “We should be spending our time hunting down Bela.”

Sam and Angela stared after Doris.

“Hey,” Dean said. He snapped his fingers at them. “You two with me?”

“What?” they asked.

“You sure you two feeling okay?” Dean frowned.

Angela sighed. “You don’t, you don’t remember any of this?”

“Remember what?”

“This,” Sam said. “Today. Like it’s, like it’s happened before?”

“You mean like déjà vu?” Dean asked.

“No, I mean, like, like it’s really happened before,” Angela said.

“Yeah. Like déjà vu.” Dean repeated.

“No, forget about déjà vu,” Sam replied. “We’re asking you if it feels like, like we’re living yesterday all over again.”

“Okay, how is that not déjà—

“Don’t, don’t say it!” Angela replied, getting frustrated. “Just don’t even…”

Doris arrived with a tray with one coffee and the hot sauce.

“Coffee, black, and some hot sauce for the, oops! Crap!”

Sam noticed the hot sauce wobble on the tray and caught it as it fell. Doris gasped. Sam stared at the bottle in his hand and gave it back.

“Thanks,” Doris said. She put down the bottle and left.

“Nice reflexes,” Dean said.

Neither Sam nor Angela said anything.

~/~\~

The dog barked as Sam, Dean, and Angela passed. Sam and Angela stared back over their shoulders.

“Guys, I’m sorry, but I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Dean said.

“Okay, look, yesterday was Tuesday, right?” Angela asked.

“But today is Tuesday too,” Sam added.

“Yeah. No. Good. You two are totally balanced.” Dean replied.

“So you don’t believe us?” Angela asked.

Dean laughed and collided with the blonde girl.

“Excuse me.” She said.

“Look, I’m just saying that it’s crazy, you know, I mean, even for us crazy,” Dean said. “Dingo ate my baby crazy. Hey, maybe it was another one of your psychic premonitions.”

“No, no way, way too vivid,” Sam said. “Okay, look, we were at the Mystery Spot, and then—

“And then what?” Dean asked.

“Then we woke up,” Angela said.

Sam, Dean, and Angela passed the movers.

“Told you it wouldn’t fit.”

“What do you want, a Pulitzer?”

“Wait a minute!” Sam said. “The Mystery Spot. You think maybe it—

“Maybe what?” Dean asked.

“We gotta check that place out, man,” Sam said. “Look, just, go with us on this, okay?”

“All right, all right, we’ll go tonight, after it closes, get ourselves a nice long look,” Dean replied.

Angela realized what Dean said and whipped around. “Wait, what? No.”

“Why not?”

“Uh,” Sam said. “Let’s just go now. Right now. Business hours, nice and crowded.”

“My God, you two are freaks,” Dean replied. “A match made in heaven, I guess.”

“Dean,” Angela said.

“Okay. Whatever. We’ll go now.”

Dean walked a few feet ahead of Sam and Angela and looked to his right as he entered the street. A car slammed into him from his left.

“Dean!” Sam and Angela yelled.

They rushed to Dean.

“Dean, no, no, no,” Sam said.

Dean had blood on his face and was barely moving. Sam turned him over and picked him up.

“Come on, Dean,” Angela said.

Mr. Pickett leaned out of the now-stopped car. Sam and Angela stared at him, then back at Dean.

“Hey. Dean.” Sam said.

Dean wasn’t moving.

“Dean. Dean.” Angela said.

~/~\~

 _“Heat of the moment…”_ the radio played.

Sam’s eyes snapped open.

Sam and Angela sat up in bed and stared around.

 _“Telling you what your heart is…”_ the radio continued.

“Rise and shine, lovebirds!” Dean said. He was sitting on the other bed, tying his shoes. They stared at him.

_“The heat of the moment… Showed in your eyes…”_

~/~\~

Dean gargled loudly and annoyingly. Sam and Angela watched him.

~/~\~

“Hey. Tuesday. Pig in a poke.” Dean smiled.

“Would you listen to us, Dean?” Angela asked. “Because we are flipping out.”

“Are you three ready?” Doris asked.

“He’ll take the special, side of bacon, coffee, black, nothing for us, thanks,” Sam said.

“You got it.” Doris nodded.

“Sammy, I get all tingly when you take control like that.” Dean smiled. “That must be how Angie feels.” He laughed.

“Dean.” Angela glared.

“Quit screwing around, Dean,” Sam said.

“Okay, okay, I’m listening,” Dean said. “So, so you guys think that you’re in some kind of a what again?”

“Time loop.” Sam and Angela said.

“Like ‘Groundhog Day’.”

“Yes, exactly, like ‘Groundhog Day’.” Sam nodded.

“Uh-huh.” Dean nodded.

“So you don’t believe us?” Angela asked.

“It’s just a little crazy, I mean even for us crazy, you know, like, uh—

“Dingo ate my baby crazy?” Sam asked.

“How’d you know I was going to say that?” Dean asked.

“Because you said it before, Dean, that’s our whole point,” Angela said.

“Coffee, black, and some hot sauce for the, whoops! Crap.”

Sam caught the hot sauce and handed it back to Doris without looking.

“Thanks.” She replied, putting down the hot sauce and leaving.

“Nice reflexes,” Dean said.

“No. He knew it was going to happen.” Angela replied.

“Okay, look, I’m sure there’s some sort of explanation—

“You’re just going to have to go with us on this, Dean, you just have to, you owe us that much,” Sam said.

“Calm down,” Dean replied.

“Don’t tell us to calm down. We can’t calm down. We can’t.” Angela replied. “Because—

“Because what?” Dean frowned.

“Because you die today, Dean.” She murmured.

“I’m not gonna die. Not today.”

“Twice now we’ve watched you die, and we can’t,” Sam replied. “We won’t do it again, okay? You’re just going to have to believe us. Please.”

“All right.” Dean nodded. “I still think you two are nuts, but okay, whatever this is, we’ll figure it out.”

Sam and Angela nodded.

~/~\~

The dog barked as Sam, Dean, and Angela passed. Dean collided with the blonde girl.

“Excuse me.”

Sam, Dean, and Angela passed the movers.

“Told you it wouldn’t fit.”

“What do you want, a Pulitzer?”

“And you guys think this cheesy-ass tourist trap has something to do with it?” Dean asked.

“Maybe it’s the real deal, you know?” Angela asked. “The, the magnetic fields bending space-time or whatever.”

“I don’t know, it all seem a little too X-Files for me”

“Well, we don’t know how else to explain it, Dean!” Sam replied.

“All right, all right, we’ll go tonight after they close, get ourselves a nice long look.”

“No, no, no, no, no, we can’t,” Angela said.

“Why not?”

“Because you—Sam started.

“I what?”

Neither Sam nor Angela said anything.

“I die there?”

“Blown away, actually,” Angela muttered.

“Huh. Okay, we go now.”

Dean started forward. Sam and Angela rushed after him and grabbed him before he ran into the street. Mr. Pickett’s car zoomed past.

“Stay out of the way!” Mr. Pickett yelled.

The three stared after the car.

“Wait, did he?”

“Yesterday, yeah.” Sam nodded.

“And?”

“And what?” Sam asked.

“Did it look cool, like in the movies?”

“You peed yourself, Dean,” Angela said.

“Of course I peed myself,” Dean replied. “Man gets hit by a car, you think he has full control over his bladder? Come on!”

Dean was careful to look both ways before they crossed the street.

~/~\~

“Guys, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.” The owner said. “We could use all the good ink we can get.”

“How long have you owned the place, Mr. Kopiak?”

“My family’s been guarding the secrets here since you don’t want to know when.”

“So you’d know if anything strange happened?” Angela asked.

“Strange?” he asked. “Missy, strange happens here all the time. It’s a Mystery Spot.”

“What exactly does that mean?” Sam asked.

“Well, uh, it’s where the laws of physics have no meaning.”

Angela was getting frustrated. “Okay, like how?”

The owner grinned. “Take the tour.”

“The guy who went missing, Dexter Hasselback, he take the tour?” Dean asked.

“Uh, uh, hold on a minute, what kind of article is this?” the owner asked.

“Just answer the question,” Sam said.

“The police scoured every inch of this place.” The owner said. “They couldn’t find that man. I never seen him before. We’re a family establishment—

Sam got in the owner’s face. “Listen to me.” He said. “There is something weird going on here. Now do you know anything about it or not?”

“Okay. Look. Guys. Um. Give me a break.” He replied. “I bought the joint at a foreclosure auction last March, all right? Hell, I used to sell bail bonds.”

Sam stared at him, stony-faced.

“Okay, Kojack, let’s get some air,” Dean said.

Dean steered Sam outside, Angela following.

~/~\~

“I hate to say it, but that place is exactly what I thought,” Dean said. “Full of crap.”

“Then what is it, Dean, what the hell is happening to us?” Angela asked.

“I don’t know,” Dean replied. “All right, lemme just, so, every day I die.”

“Yeah.” Sam nodded.

“And that’s when you two wake up again, right?”

“Yeah,” Angela said.

“So let’s just make sure I don’t die.” He shrugged. “If I make it to tomorrow, then maybe the loop stops and we can figure all this out.”

“You think?” Sam asked.

“Worth a shot. I say we grab some takeout and head back to the motel, lay low until midnight.”

Angela and Sam nodded.

“All right, good. Who wants Chinese?”

Dean started walking again and got two steps before being flattened by a falling desk. The movers, one holding the other end of the snapped rope and the other up in the window, Sam and Angela stared.

~/~\~

_“Heat of the moment…”_

Sam’s eyes snapped open.

Sam and Angela sat up in bed and stared around.

_“Telling you what your heart is…”_

Dean was sitting on the other bed, tying his shoes. Sam and Angela stared at him.

_“The heat of the moment…”_

Sam lied down and tried to breathe. Angela followed suit, resting her head on Sam’s chest.

_“Showed in your eyes… It was the heat of the moment…”_

~/~\~

“I still think you two are nuts, but whatever this is, we’ll figure it out,” Dean said.

“Thanks,” Angela mumbled.

“So. Uh. You two are stuck in ‘Groundhog Day’.” Dean said. “Why? What’s behind it?”

“Well, first we thought it was the Mystery Spot,” Sam replied. “Now we’re not so sure.”

“What do we do?”

“Try to keep you breathing, try to make it to tomorrow,” Angela said. “That’s the only thing we can think of.”

“Shouldn’t be too hard.” Dean shrugged.

“Yeah, right, Dean, we’ve watched you die a few times now and we can’t ever seem to stop it,” Sam replied.

“Well, nothing’s set in stone,” Dean replied. “You said I order the same thing every day, right?”

“Yeah.” Angela nodded. “Pig in a poke, side of bacon.”

Dean turned to Doris, who was standing by the window to the kitchen, talking with the cook.

“’Scuse me, sweetheart,” Dean said.

Doris turned.

“Can I get sausage instead of bacon?” Dean asked.

“Sure thing, hon.”

“See?” Dean asked. “Different day already. See, if we decide I’m not gonna die, I’m not gonna die.”

Doris brought over Dean’s food.

“Thank you,” Dean said. He stabbed a sausage with his fork and bit in. Sam and Angela grinned. Dean started to choke.

“Dean,” Sam said.

“Dean?” Angela asked.

~/~\~

_“Heat of the moment…”_

Sam’s eyes snapped open.

Sam and Angela sat up in bed and stared around.

~/~\~

Dean poked his shampooed head around the shower curtain.

“You mean we can’t even go out for breakfast?” Dean asked.

“You’ll thank us when it’s Wednesday!” Sam called.

“Whatever that means,” Dean replied. He disappeared behind the shower curtain.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela looked out the window. They heard Dean yelp, followed by a thud.

~/~\~

_“Heat of the moment…”_

Sam’s eyes snapped open.

~/~\~

Dean bit into a takeout taco.

“These tacos taste funny to you guys?”

~/~\~

_“Heat of the moment…”_

Sam and Angela sat up in bed.

Dean plugged in an electric razor and was electrocuted.

~/~\~

_“Heat of the moment…”_

Sam’s eyes snapped open.

~/~\~

There were several thuds. Sam was breaking down the walls with an ax. Dean grinned at the owner who was duct-taped to a chair. Angela stood on the other side of the owner.

“Everybody’s fine, nobody’s gonna get hurt, okay?” Dean said. “Sammy?”

Sam stopped and turned.

“Maybe you should drop the ax and let this guy go, what do you say?” Dean asked.

“Something’s gotta be going on here,” Sam replied. “I intend to find out what.”

Sam went back to swinging the ax.

“Place is tore up pretty good, dude,” Dean replied. “Time to give it a rest.”

“No!” Sam exclaimed. “I’m gonna take it down to studs.”

Dean stood up. “Sammy, that’s enough, give me the ax.”

“Leave it, Dean.”

“Give it.”

“Guys, be careful…” Angela said.

“No, you give it,” Sam said.

“Let it go.”

“Guys…” Angela tried again.

“No,” Sam told Dean.

“Let it go, come on!”

“Dean, leave it, please—

The owner and Angela were splashed with blood.

Angela flinched and yelped.

“Dean?” Sam asked.

There was a thud. The owner tried to yell through the duct tape.

~/~\~

_“Heat of the moment…”_

Sam’s eyes snapped open.

~/~\~

The door chimed as Sam, Dean, and Angela entered. The cashier gave Mr. Pickett some change.

“Drive safely now, Mr. Pickett.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Sam bumped into Mr. Pickett as they passed.

“Can’t stay unless you order something, Cal. You know the rules.”

Cal passed her some change. “Coffee.”

Sam, Dean, and Angela sat down in a booth. There was a man at the counter with pancakes and maple syrup.

“Hey. Tuesday. Pig in a poke.” Dean said.

Sam put a set of keys on the table. Dean looked at them, then at Sam.

“What are those?”

“The old man’s,” Sam replied. “Trust me, you don’t want him behind the wheel.”

“You three ready?” Doris asked.

“Uh, yes, we are.” Dean nodded. “I’ll have the special, side of bacon and a coffee.”

“Hey, Doris?” Angela asked. “What I’d like is for you to log in some more hours at the archery range. You’re a terrible shot.”

“How’d you know that?”

“Lucky guess,” Angela said.

“Okay, so you two think you’re caught in some kind of what, again?” Dean asked.

“Time loop,” Sam muttered.

“Like ‘Groundhog Day’,” Dean said.

“Doesn’t matter,” Angela said. “There’s no way to stop it.”

“Jeez, aren’t you angry.”

“Yeah, we are,” Angela replied. “You wanna know why? Because this is the hundredth Tuesday in a row Sam and I have been through, and it never stops. Ever. So yeah, Sam and I are a little grumpy.” She said. “Hot sauce.” She added.

“What?” Dean asked.

Doris arrived with the coffee and hot sauce.

“Coffee, black, and some hot sauce for the, whoops! Crap!”

Sam caught the hot sauce and slid it across the table.

“Thanks,” Doris said.

“Nice reflexes,” Dean added.

“I knew it was going to happen, Dean,” Sam replied. “Angie and I know everything that’s gonna happen.”

“You two don’t know everything.”

“Yeah, we do,” Angela said.

“Yeah, right. Nice guess.” They all said in unison.

“It wasn’t a guess,” Sam replied.

“Right, you two are mind readers. Cut it out, guys. Guys.” They all said.

The leaned towards each other simultaneously.

“You think you’re being funny but you’re being really childish!” they said. Sam Winchester wears makeup. Sam Winchester cries his way through sex. Sam Winchester keeps a ruler by the bed and every morning when he wakes up he—

Dean threw up his hands. “Okay, enough!”

“That’s not all,” Angela replied. “Randy the cashier? He’s skimming from the register. Judge Myers? At night he puts on a furry bunny outfit.”

Overhearing, Judge Myers knocked over his glass.

“Over there, that’s Cal,” Sam said. “He’s gonna rob Tony the mechanic on the way home.”

“What’s your point?” Dean asked.

“Our point is we’ve lived through every possible Tuesday,” Angela said. “We’ve watched you die every possible way. Sam has ripped apart the Mystery Spot, burnt it down, tried everything we know to save your life and we can’t. No matter what we do, you die. And then we wake up. And then it’s Tuesday again.”

~/~\~

“Dog,” Sam said.

The dog barked as Sam, Dean, and Angela passed.

“There’s gotta be some way out of this,” Dean replied.

“Where’s my dang keys?” Sam muttered.

The passed Mr. Pickett.

“Where’s my dang keys?” Mr. Pickett asked himself.

“Excuse me,” Angela muttered.

Dean collided with the blonde girl.

“Excuse me.”

“She’s kinda cute,” Dean said. Dean put out a hand to stop Sam and Angela. “Hey. All the times we’ve walked down this street, I ever do this?” he asked. Dean went back to the blonde girl. “’Scuse me, miss!”

Sam and Angela stared after him.

“No.” Sam murmured.

The blonde girl gave Dean one of her papers. On it there was a picture and the word ‘MISSING’.

“Hundred Tuesdays and you guys never bothered to check what she was holding in her hands?” Dean asked.

Sam and Angela shrugged. Dean held up the flyer.

“It’s the guy who went missing,” Dean said.

Sam and Angela stared at the name ‘Dexter Hasselback’ under the picture from the newspaper clipping.

“Yeah?” Sam asked.

“That’s his daughter back there.

Sam took Angela’s hand and grabbed the flyer. He ran after the blonde girl, taking Angela with him.

“Ma’am?” Sam called.

The dog growled and barked at Dean.

“Hey, buddy!” Dean said. “Somebody need a friend?” he asked. “Good boy, aaah!”

~/~\~

_“Heat of the moment…”_

Sam’s eyes snapped open.

~/~\~

Dean was eating and Sam and Angela were on the laptop; behind them, the man with pancakes was reading a newspaper. A thing of pink syrup was next to his plate.

“So the police report says Dexter Hasselback is a professor, but that’s not all he is,” Angela said.

“What is he?”

“We talked to his daughter,” Sam said. “Guy’s quite the journalist. Columns in magazines, a blog.”

The man left.

“He writes about tourist attractions,” Angela added. “Mystery spots, UFO crash sites, he gets his kicks debunking them. I mean, he’s already put four of these places out of business. Here.”

She turned the laptop to face Dean. On the screen was the biography of the author of the blog ‘The Hasselback Report’ with a picture of Hasselback and a headline Dean read aloud.

“Dexter Hasselback, truth warrior?” Dean asked. “More like a pompous schmuck, you ask me.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Sam replied. “I mean, Angela and I have read everything the guy’s ever written, and he must have weighed a ton, he was so full of himself.”

“When’d you two have time to do all this research?”

“Come on,” Angela said.

Sam packed up the laptop. The got up. Dean laughed.

“What?” Sam asked.

“I just, it’s just funny, you know, I mean, this guy spends his whole life crapping on Mystery Spots and then he vanishes into one,” Dean said. “It’s kinda poetic, you know, just desserts.”

“You’re right, that is just desserts,” Angela said.

Sam noticed the man’s abandoned plate; it had a partial pancake and pink syrup.

“What’s wrong?” Dean asked.

Sam and Angela watched the man walk by the diner windows.

“Guy has maple syrup for the last hundred Tuesdays, all of a sudden he’s having strawberry?” Sam asked.

“It’s a free country,” Dean replied. “Man can’t choose his own syrup, huh? What have we become?”

“Not in this diner.” Angela murmured. “Not today. Nothing in this place ever changes. Ever. Except for Sam and me.”


	22. Mystery Spot Part 2

_“Heat of the moment…”_

Sam’s eyes snapped open.

Sam and Angela sat up in bed and stared around.

_“Telling you what your heart is…”_

“Rise and shine, lovebirds!” Dean said. He was sitting on the other bed, tying his shoes. Sam looked around.

_“The heat of the moment… Showed in your eyes…”_

~/~\~

The man was eating pancakes with maple syrup. Behind him, Dean was eating and Sam and Angela were watching the man.

“So you two think you’re caught in some kind of what, again?” Dean asked.

“Eat your breakfast,” Angela replied.

The man left. Sam and Angela followed.

“What’s in the bag?” Dean asked.

Dean followed Sam and Angela.

~/~\~

The man walked down the street. Sam grabbed him, slammed him into the fence, and Angela put the tip of a wooden stake to his throat.

“Hey!” the man said.

“We know who you are,” Sam growled. “Or should I say, what.”

“Oh my god, please don’t kill me.”

“Uh, guys?” Dean asked.

“It took us a hell of a long time but we got it,” Angela whispered.

“What?” the man asked.

“It’s your MO that gave you away,” Sam replied. “Going after pompous jerks, giving them their just desserts, your kind loves that, don’t they?”

“Yeah, sure, okay.” The man replied. He glanced nervously at Angela and the stake. “Just put the stake down, lady!”

“Guys, maybe you should—

“No!” Angela replied. “There’s only one creature powerful enough to do what you’re doing. Making reality out of nothing, sticking people in time loops, in fact, you’d pretty much have to be a god.” She added. “You’d have to be a Trickster.”

“Lady, my name is Ed Coleman, my wife’s name is Amelia, I got two kids, for crying out loud I sell ad space—

“Don’t lie to us!” Angela snapped. “We know what you are! We’ve killed one of your kind before!”

“Actually, Angie, you didn’t.” the Trickster smirked.

~/~\~

“Why are you doing this?” Sam asked.

“You’re joking, right?” the Trickster asked. “You Chuckleheads tried to kill me last time. Why wouldn’t I do this?”

“And Hasselback, what about him?” Dean asked.

“That putz? He said he didn’t believe in wormholes, so I dropped him in one.” The Trickster laughed. “Then you three showed up. I made you the second you hit town.”

“So this is fun for you? Killing Dean over and over again?” Angela asked.

“One, yes. It is fun.” The Trickster replied. “And two? This is so not about killing Dean, sweetheart. This joke is on you and Sam. Watching Dean die, every day? Forever?”

“You son of a bitch.” Sam muttered.

“How long will it take for you two to realize? You can’t save Dean. No matter what.”

“Oh yeah?” Angela murmured. “I kill you, this all ends now.” She growled.

“Oh, oh, hey, whoa!” he replied. He glanced at Sam. “You landed a feisty one.” He muttered. “Look. I was just playing around. You can’t take a joke, fine. You’re out of it. Tomorrow, you’ll wake up and it’ll be Wednesday. I swear.”

“You’re lying,” Sam said.

“If I am, you know where to find me. Having pancakes at the diner.”

Angela glared at the Trickster. “No. Easier to just kill you.”

“Sorry, sweetheart. Can’t have that.”

The Trickster snapped his fingers.

~/~\~

 _“Promise me I’ll be back in time…”_ the radio played.

Sam’s eyes snapped open.

Sam sat up in bed and stared around. Angela followed suit.

_“Gotta get back in time…”_

“What, you two gonna sleep all day?” Dean asked. He was standing by the bathroom sink.

“No Asia,” Sam said. He looked at Angela. “No Asia.” He repeated. He grinned and put his hands on the sides of her face and kissed her happily. She grinned into the kiss, kissing back just as happily.

Dean raised a brow. “Yeah, I know.” He nodded. “This station sucks. Now come on lovebirds, get up.” He said.

 _“On a roll of the dice…”_ the radio continued.

Angela looked at the clock radio. It said ‘Wed’. She gasped. “It’s Wednesday!”

“Yeah, usually comes after Tuesday,” Dean replied. “Turn that thing off, will you?”

Sam grinned. “What, are you kidding me? This isn’t the most beautiful song you’ve ever heard?”

“No,” Dean replied. “How many Tuesdays did you two have?”

Sam threw a long-sleeved shirt over his t-shirt. Angela pulled on a short-sleeved button-up over her t-shirt.

“I don’t know,” Angela said. “We lost count. Hey, wait. What do you remember?”

“I remember you guys were pretty whacked out of it yesterday and then I remember running into the Trickster. But no, that’s about it.”

“All right.” Sam nodded. “Pack your stuff, let’s get the hell out of town. Now.”

“No breakfast?”

“No breakfast,” Angela said.

~/~\~

Dean pulled a shotgun out of the secret compartment, put it in a duffel bag, closed the compartment, put the bag in the trunk, and closed the trunk. He heard someone behind him.

“You sure we should just let the Trickster go?” Dean asked.

Dean turned to face the person; it was Cal, not Sam or Angela. Cal was pointing a handgun at Dean.

“Gimme your wallet.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, buddy, just relax,” Dean replied.

“I am relaxed!” Cal said, obviously not relaxed.

“Okay, all right, nobody wants this to end the wrong way, let’s talk about it a sec.”

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were packing. Their heads snapped up when they heard a gunshot.

“Dean!” Angela yelled.

~/~\~

Cal ran around the corner. Sam and Angela hurried down the motel exterior stairs. Dean was on his side on the asphalt, blood on his shirt. Sam and Angela ran to him.

“No, no, no, no, no, hey, hey, come on, not today, not today, this isn’t supposed to happen today, come on—

Sam and Angela realized Dean wasn’t moving. They closed their eyes and waited. Nothing happened. They opened their eyes. Dean was still dead.

“We’re supposed to wake up.” Angela murmured.

~/~\~

The Impala drove down the road. It had been six months since the Mystery Spot incident.

~/~\~

Sam was at the wheel and Angela was in the passenger’s seat. They barely showed any expression. Sam’s phone rang.

“It’s Sam. Leave a message.” The voice mail said.

There was a beep. While Bobby spoke, Sam and Angela flashed their flashlights around, the outside of a building, Sam fired a gun.

 _“Sam? Angie? It’s Bobby.”_ He said. _“Heard about that demon thing you guys took care of in Death Valley. Nice job. Been about three months we talked, though. Be nice to hear your voices. Give a call. I’m here.”_

There was another beep.

~/~\~

Sam opened the room door. He pulled off his overshirt: his t-shirt was blood-soaked. He cut up through the bloodstain to reveal a bleeding wound. He poured hydrogen peroxide on it and Angela went into the bullet hole with a pair of something resembling tweezers, with which she pulled out the bullet. She stitched up the wound.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were eating.

There was a beep.

_“Sam? Angie? Bobby again. Look, I’m worried about you two.”_

Sam and Angela were cleaning guns, facing a wall of maps and newspaper clippings and security camera stills featuring the Trickster, arranged in neat lines with none overlapping.

 _“Just tell me you’re not sitting by yourselves somewhere obsessing over this damn Trickster,”_ Bobby said. _“Call me, guys. We can find it together. You shouldn’t take this on by yourselves. You hear me? By the way, that vampire's nest in Austin, hell of a job.”_

Sam sat up stiffly and made with bed with military precision. Angela was already up and brushing her teeth. Sam went to the bathroom and did the same.

There was a beep.

_“Sam? Angie? It’s Bobby. I found him.”_

~/~\~

Bobby was kneeling on the floor turning the pages of a book, which was dead center of a chalked diagram with three candles and three bowls of unidentified substances. Sam and Angela entered the room behind him. Bobby stood.

“It’s good to see you two.” He said.

He hugged Sam, who didn’t respond. Then he hugged Angela who barely hugged back. He pulled away.

“What are we doing here, Bobby?” Angela asked.

“Well, it’s the last place we’re sure the Trickster worked his magic.”

“So?” Sam asked.

“So you two want this thing? I found a summoning ritual to bring the Trickster here.”

“What do we need?” Angela asked.

“Blood.”

“How much?” she questioned.

“Ritual says near a gallon. And it’s gotta be fresh, too.”

“Meaning we have to bleed a person dry,” Sam said.

“And it’s gotta be tonight. Or not for another fifty years.”

“Then let’s go get some,” Sam replied.

Sam and Angela turned to leave. Bobby didn’t move. Angela noticed this and turned back, Sam following suit.

“You two break my heart,” Bobby said.

“What?” Angela raised a brow.

“I’m not gonna let you two murder an innocent man.”

“Then why’d you bring us here?” Angela asked.

“Why?” Bobby replied. “Because it was the only way you two would see me! I’m trying to knock some sense into you guys! Because I thought you two would back down from killing a man!”

“Well, you thought wrong,” Sam replied. “Leave the stuff, we’ll do it ourselves.”

“I told you, I’m not gonna let you two kill a man.”

“It’s none of your damn business what we do!” Sam shouted.

“You want Dean back so bad?” Bobby asked. He leaned down and pulled a knife out of his bag. He held it up to them. “Fine.”

Angela eyed the knife. “What are you talking about?”

“Better me than a civilian.”

He held the knife out to Angela.

“You’re crazy, Bobby.” She said. “We’re not killing you.”

“Oh, now I’m the crazy one.” He replied. “Look, Angie, I’m old, I’m coming near the end of my trail. But you two can keep on fighting. Saving folk. But you need Dean. Let me get him back to you two.”

“Bobby—

“You, Angie, and Dean, you three are the closest thing I have to family. I wanna do this.”

Angela took the knife. “Okay.”

“Good.” Bobby nodded, He turned around and went to his knees. “Just make it quick.”

Angela waited.

“Do it, Angie.”

“Yeah, okay, Bobby.” She murmured. Sam handed her a stake from out of his shirt. “But you wanna know why?” she asked.

She grabbed Bobby around the throat and shoved the stake through his back. The tip came out of Bobby’s chest.

“Because you’re not Bobby.” She whispered hardly.

Angela twisted the stake. Blood spurted from the wound.

Bobby went still and fell forward. Angela let go of him, then stared at Bobby’s corpse. Nothing happened.

“Bobby?” Sam asked. “Bobby! Bobby!”

Bobby’s corpse vanished. The stake fell over, the shot over Sam’s shoulder into the hand of the Trickster. Sam and Angela turned to face him.

“You’re right.” He said. “I was just screwing with you guys. Pretty good, though, Angie. Smart. Let me tell you, whoever said Dean was the dysfunctional one has never seen you with a sharp object in your hands. Holy Full Metal Jacket.” He added. “Like I said Sam, you landed a feisty one.” He smirked.

“Bring him back,” Angela said.

“Who, Dean? Didn’t my girl send you the flowers? Dean’s dead. He ain’t coming back.” The Trickster replied. “His soul’s downstairs doing the hellfire rumba as we speak.”

“Just take us back to the Tuesday, er, Wednesday, when it all started,” Sam replied. “Please. We won’t come after you, we swear.”

“You swear.” The Trickster said.

“Yes,” Angela replied.

“I don’t know. Even if I could—

“You can,” Angela said.

“True.” He replied. “But that don’t mean I should. Guys, there’s a lesson that I’ve been trying to drill into your heads.”

“Lesson? What lesson?” Sam asked.

“This obsession to save Dean?” the Trickster said. “The way you keep sacrificing yourselves for each other? Nothing good comes out of it. Just blood and pain. You three are each other’s weaknesses. And the bad guys know it, too. It’s gonna be the death of you, guys. Sometimes you just gotta let people go.”

“He’s Sam’s brother and my best friend,” Angela whispered.

“Yup. And like it or not, sweetheart, this is what life’s gonna be like without him.”

“Please,” Sam said. “Just, please.”

“I swear, it’s like talking to two brick walls. Okay, look. This all stopped being fun months ago.” He said. “You’re Travis Bickle in a skirt, pal.” He said to Sam. “I’m over it.”

“Meaning what?” Sam asked.

“Meaning that’s for me to know and you two to find out.”

The Trickster snapped his fingers.

~/~\~

_“Promise me I’ll be back in time…”_

Sam’s eyes snapped open.

Sam sat up in bed, and Angela followed suit. They stared around.

_“Gotta get back in time…”_

“What, you two gonna sleep all day?” Dean asked, brushing his teeth by the bathroom sink. “I know, no Asia. This station sucks.”

_“On a roll of the dice…”_

Angela checked the clock radio. It said ‘Wed’. “It’s Wednesday.”

“Yeah, usually comes after Tuesday,” Dean replied. “Turn that thing off.”

Angela hopped up and hugged Dean tightly. He hugged back, confused, and a few moments, she pulled away, Sam taking her place.

“Guys, how many Tuesdays did you have?” Dean asked.

“Enough,” Sam whispered. “What, uh, what do you remember?”

“I remember you two were pretty whacked out of it yesterday. I remember getting up with the Trickster. That’s about it.”

Sam and Angela nodded.

“Let’s go,” Angela said.

“No breakfast?” Dean asked.

“No breakfast,” Sam said.

“All right, I’ll pack the car.”

“Wait, you’re not going anywhere alone,” Sam said.

“It’s the parking lot, Sam.”

“Just, just trust us,” Angela replied.

Sam and Angela dressed, Sam zipped closed a bag. Dean opened the door, then turned back.

“Hey, you two don’t look so good. Something else happen?”

They both said nothing for a moment.

“I think we both just had really weird dreams.” Angela shrugged.

Dean nodded. “Clowns or midgets?”

Sam and Angela looked up. Dean grinned. Sam tried to smile and Angela smiled a small smile. They picked up their bags. Dean left. They followed, stopping at the door to look back at the unmade bed. Sam turned off the light and Angela closed the door.


	23. Jus in Bello Part 1

Sam and Angela rushed into a nicely furnished bedroom. Dean followed and shut the door. Dean and Angela checked the drawers, while Sam checked the safe.

“Any sign of it?” Dean asked.

“Nope, nada,” Angela replied.

“Nothing,” Sam said. “Are you _sure_ this is Bela’s room?”

Dean held up two wigs and showed them to Sam. “I’d say so.”

Suddenly the phone rang and they all shared a look. Dean walked to the phone and looked at Sam, who shook his head, and Angela who shrugged. Dean picked up the phone and answered it cautiously. It was Bela, who was calling from her car.

 _“Dean? Sweetie, are you there?”_ Bela asked.

“Where are you?” Dean retorted.

_“Two states away by now.”_

“Where?”

 _“Where’s our usual quippy banter?”_ she asked. _“I miss it.”_

“I want it back, Bela… now.”

 _“Your little pistol, you mean?”_ she asked. _“Sorry, I can’t at the moment.”_

“You understand how many people are gonna die if you do this?” Dean asked.

_“What exactly is it that you think I plan to do with it?”_

“Take the only weapon we have against an army of demons and sell it to the highest bidder.”

 _“You know nothing about me.”_ She replied.

“I know I’m gonna stop you.”

_“Tough words for a guy who can’t even find me.”_

“Oh, I’ll find you, sweetheart,” Dean replied. “You know why? Because I have absolutely nothing better to do than track you down.”

 _“That’s where you’re wrong. You’re about to be quite occupied.”_ She said. Dean looked at Sam and Angela. _“Did you really think I wouldn’t take precautions?”_

Suddenly police officers burst into Bela’s room and pointed guns at the three hunters. They raised their hands above their heads.

“Hands in the air!” one officer yelled.

“Down on your knees.” Another said.

The line went dead, signaling that Bela had hung up.

“That bitch!” Dean yelled.

“Turn around! Now!” the first officer shouted.

The police officers forced Sam, Dean, and Angela to lie down on the floor.

“Sam and Dean Winchester and Angela Morgan, you have the right to remain silent.” The first officer said.

Sam, Dean, and Angela saw feet come closer. They shared a look, then looked up.

“Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.” The officer said. “You have the right to speak to an attorney and have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you at government expense.”

Dean, Sam, and Angela looked up to see Agent Henriksen.

“Hi guys…” he said. “It’s been a while.”

Dean, Sam, and Angela looked at each other. Dean closed his eyes and laid his head down on the floor.

~/~\~

Henriksen was talking to the police.

“So did you get them?” Melvin asked.

“Where is everyone?” Henriksen asked. “I asked for all your men.”

“And you got them.” Melvin shrugged. “They went with you on the raid.”

“Four men? That’s all?” Henriksen asked.

“Everyone I could drum up with an hour’s notice. We’re a small town, Agent Henriksen.”

Henriksen walked towards the holding cells. He saw a man sleeping in the first one.

“What’s he in for?”

“Drunk and disorderly,” Phil said.

“Keys,” Henriksen said. Phil and Melvin looked at Henriksen in disbelief. “Now.”

Phil reached for the key in his pocket and gave it to Henriksen.

“What are you doing?” Melvin asked.

Henriksen opened the cell and tapped the sleeping man on the back. “It is your lucky night, sir. You are free to go.”

“What the hell are you doing?” Melvin asked.

Henriksen lifted up the man. “This way.” He said. He took the man out of the cell and gave him to Phil.

“Agent Henriksen, you can’t just release my prisoners,” Melvin said. Henriksen walked away. “Agent Henriksen.” Melvin tried.

“Look, I get it… you’re Mayberry P.D.” Henriksen said.

“Excuse me?”

“And this isn’t how I’d do it if I had my choice.” Henriksen continued. “But a tip’s a tip and we had to move fast.” 

“Look, Agent, this ain’t my first rodeo.”

“You’ve never been to a rodeo like this before.” Henriksen retorted. “You have any idea who we’re about to bring in here?”

“Yeah, three fugitives.”

“The most dangerous criminals you’ve ever laid your eyeballs on,” Henriksen said. “Think Hannibal Lecter, his half-wit little brother, and said little brother’s girlfriend. Do you know what these three do for kicks? Dig up graves and mutilate corpses. They’re not just killers, Sheriff. They’re Satan-worshipping, nutbag killers.”

Nancy, the secretary, was silently listening to Henriksen and she held the cross pendant she wore around her neck.

“So work with me here,” Henriksen said. “I’ll get them out of your hair and on their way to Supermax and you’ll be home in enough time to watch the farm report.”

Melvin nodded. “However we can help.”

Henriksen came closer. “Those men of yours… post them at the exits.”

“Yes sir.”

“Reidy?” Henriksen asked into his walkie.

“Yeah, Vic?” Reidy replied.

“Bring them in,” Henriksen said. Nancy looked at Henriksen. “I guess we’re ready as we’re gonna be.”

The doors opened. Sam, Dean, and Angela were led in, shackled together by a chain, and guarded by two officers.

“Why all the sourpusses?” Dean smiled.

Sam and Angela looked at the nameplate on Nancy’s desk, which read ‘Nancy Fitzgerald, Secretary’. Nancy looked afraid and grabbed her rosary.

“I’ll show you to the cells,” Reidy said.

He grabbed Dean’s arm.

“Hey! Hey!” Dean replied. “Watch the merchandise!”

Nancy’s eyes followed them, scared.

“We’re not the ones you should be scared of, Nancy,” Dean said.

Nancy looked at her rosary and held it as if her life depended on it.

Dean, Sam, and Angela were brought to their cell. The police left them alone. Dean headed for the bed, Sam to the door, and Angela was caught in the middle. The all almost fell because of the chain.

“Dean, come on!” Sam said.

“All right, all right,” Dean said. “Sit?”

“Yeah, good idea,” Angela replied.

They awkwardly walked around each other and ended up sitting on the bed.

“How are we gonna Houdini out of this one?” Dean asked.

“Good question,” Angela said.

~/~\~

Dean looked at Henriksen. Sam and Angela glanced at Henriksen, then away.

“You know what I’m trying to decide?” Henriksen asked.

“I don’t know,” Dean replied. “What? Whether Cialis will help you with your little condition.”

“What to have for dinner tonight,” Henriksen said. Sam looked at him. “Steak or lobster, what the hell, surf and turf.” He said. Dean smirked cynically. “I got to celebrate. I mean, after all, seeing you three in chains…”

“You kinky son of a bitch.” Dean said. “We don’t swing that way. And Angie here is with Sammy.”

“Now, that’s funny,” Henriksen said.

“You know, I wouldn’t bust out the melted butter just yet,” Dean said. “Couldn’t catch us at the bank, couldn’t keep us in that jail.”

“You’re right. Screwed up. I underestimated you.” Henriksen said. “I didn’t count on you being smart but now I’m ready.”

“Yeah, ready to lose us again?” Dean asked.

“Ready like a court order to keep you in a Supermaximun prison in Nevada till trial,” Henriksen replied. “Ready like isolation in a soundproof, windowless cell, so that between you and me… probably unconstitutional.”

Sam, Dean, and Angela realized Henriksen was serious.

“How’s that for ready?” Henriksen asked. Dean didn’t say anything. “Take a good look at each other; you three will never see each other again.”

Sam, Dean, and Angela looked at Henriksen, disconcerted.

“Where’s that smug smile, Dean? I want to see it.”

Dean shook his head in disbelief. “You got the wrong people.”

“Oh, yeah.” Henriksen nodded. “I forgot. You hunt monsters. Sorry, Dean. Truth is, your daddies brainwashed you with all that devil talk and no doubt touched you in a bad place. That’s all, that’s reality.”

“Why don’t you shut your mouth?” Angela piped up.

“Oh, you got a mouth on ya,” Henriksen said. “Well, guess what. Life sucks. Get a helmet. ‘Cause everybody’s got a sob story. But not everybody becomes a killer.”

There was a sound of a helicopter approaching.

“And now I have three less to worry about,” Henriksen said. He looked at his watch and smiled. “It’s surf and turf time.” He laughed.

Sam, Dean, and Angela watched Henriksen leave. Dean smiled cynically. They all looked stressed.

~/~\~

Steven entered the holding cell area and closed the main door to the office area. Dean stood up and looked at Steven.

“Sam and Dean Winchester and Angela Morgan,” Steven said. “I’m Deputy Director Steven Groves. This is a pleasure.”

“Well, glad one of us feels that way,” Dean replied.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for you three to come out of the woodwork.”

Suddenly Steven pointed his gun and shot Dean in his left shoulder. Dean’s blood sprayed to the wall. Dean grunted and fell back, while Sam and Angela jumped up and they grappled with Steven through the bars. Dean fell on the bed as Steven fired several more shots, narrowly missing Dean. Steven’s eyes turned black and Sam began an exorcism in Latin, which caused Steven’s head to whip from side to side.

“Sorry,” Steven said. “Got to cut this short. It’s gonna be a long night, guys.”

Dean sat up, clutching his shoulder, as the demon left Steven’s body and the black smoke disappeared into the ceiling air vent.

~/~\~

Steven fell to the ground. Phil and Melvin entered, followed by Henriksen, who pointed his gun at Sam and Angela.

“Put the gun down!” Melvin yelled.

“Wait. Okay. Wait.” Sam said.

“He shot him!”

“He didn’t shoot him. Neither did I. Neither he nor I shot anyone.” Angela said.

“He shot me!” Dean yelled.

“Get on your knees,” Henriksen said.

“Okay, okay, okay.” Sam nodded. “Don’t shoot. Please. Look. Here. Here.” Sam passed the gun through the bars.

“We didn’t shoot him,” Angela said. “Check the body. There’s no blood. We did not kill him. Go ahead, check him.” She added.

Reidy checked Steven’s body. “Vic, there’s no bullet wound.”

“He’s probably been dead for months,” Dean said.

“What did you do to him?” Henriksen asked.

“We didn’t do anything,” Dean replied.

“Talk or I shoot.”

“You won’t believe us,” Angela said.

“He was possessed,” Sam said.

“Possessed?” Henriksen asked. “Right. Fire up the chopper! We’re taking them out of here now.”

“Yeah! Do that!” Dean shouted.

“Bill? Bill are you there?” Reidy asked.

There was no answer from the walkie. Henriksen nodded to Reidy to check outside. Melvin and Phil continued to point their guns at Sam, Dean and Angela.

~/~\~

Reidy discovered two officers whose throats had been cut. He walked to the chopper. The pilot and two more officers were dead.

“They’re dead,” Reidy said into the walkie. “I think they’re all dead.”

Suddenly there was a blast of light. Reidy yelled and was flung backward.

~/~\~

“What the hell was that?” Henriksen asked. “Reidy? Reidy?!”

~/~\~

The chopper was on fire. Reidy coughed and sat up. Henriksen’s voice was heard from the walkie talkie.

“What the hell was that? Come in? Reidy? Reidy?”

Reidy walked toward the burned chopper. He turned to find one of the dead officers on his feet and looking at him with black eyes. The possessed officer crushed Reidy’s flesh. Reidy screamed.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela stood up.

“That can’t be good,” Dean said.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela helped Dean with his wound, while Dean grunted.

“All right, don’t be such a wuss,” Sam said.

“We’re almost done,” Angela added.

“What’s the plan? Kill everyone in the station, bust you two out?” Henriksen asked.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Dean asked.

“I’m talking about your psycho friends. I’m talking about the blood bath.” Henriksen replied.

“Okay, I promise you whoever’s out there is not here to help us,” Dean said.

“Look, you got to believe us,” Angela said. “Everyone here is in danger.”

“You think?” Henriksen asked.

“Why don’t you let us out of here so we can save your sorry asses?” Dean asked.

“From what? You gonna say ‘demons’?” Henriksen raised his gun, pointed it at the ceiling, for emphasis. “Don’t you dare say ‘demons’. Let me tell you something. You should be a lot more scared of me.” He left.

“How’s the shoulder?” Sam asked.

Dean took away a pad of toilet paper with a large bloodstain on it. “It’s awesome.” He tossed away the pad. “I’ll live. You know, if we get out of here alive. So either of you got a plan?”

Sam checked Dean’s exit wound on the back of his shoulder as Dean grimaced in pain. Dean realized that Nancy was peeking around the corner outside the bars.

“Hey,” Dean said quietly to Sam and Angela.

“Hey…” Angela said.

Nancy backed off, scared.

“Uh, please, please,” Sam said. “We need your help. It’s… it’s Nancy, right?” he asked. She just looked at Sam. “Nancy, my… my brother’s been shot. He’s… He’s bleeding really bad. You think maybe you get us a towel? Please? Just one clean towel?” he asked. Nancy wasn’t sure and was still a bit afraid. “Look, look at is. We’re not the bad guys. I swear.”

Dean and Angela gave Nancy a small smile and she left them. Sam sighed.

“Nice try,” Dean said.

Sam sighed again, then turned around and saw that Nancy had come back with a clean towel.

“Thank you,” Sam said. Nancy came closer to the three, carefully. “It’s okay,” Sam said. He held out his handcuffed hands.

Nancy put the towel inside the bars while Sam smiled at her. She smiled back. Suddenly Sam grabbed Nancy’s arm and dragged her against the bars. Nancy screamed. Phil ran in with his rifle.

“Let her go! Let her go!” Phil yelled.

Sam let Nancy go. She backed away, scared.

Phil pointed the gun at Sam. “You’re okay, Nance?” Phil asked. He looked at Sam. “Try something again, get shot. And not in the arm.”

“Okay.” Sam nodded.

Phil and Nancy walked away. After they left, Angela smacked Sam on the shoulder.

“What the hell was that?” she asked.

Sam held up Nancy’s rosary.

Dean was pressing the towel to his wound, sitting on the bed next to Angela.

“We’re like sitting ducks in here,” Sam said.

“Yeah, I know,” Dean replied. “Would it kill these cops to bring us a snack?!” he shouted.

Angela was resting her head on Sam’s shoulder. “How many you figure are out there?” she whispered.

“I don’t know,” Dean replied.

“However many there are, they could be possessing anyone,” Sam said. “Anyone could just walk right in.”

“It’s kind of wild, right?” Dean asked. “I mean it’s like they’re coming for us. They’ve never done that before.” Dean smiled. “It’s like we got a contract on us. Think it’s because we’re so awesome? I think it’s ‘cause we’re so awesome.” He smiled again but stopped smiling after Sam and Angela looked at him, unamused.

Melvin came in and unlocked their cell.

“Well, howdy, there, Sheriff,” Dean said.

Dean, Sam, and Angela stood up while Melvin opened up the cell door.

“Uh, Sheriff?” Angela asked.

“It’s time to go, you three,” Melvin said.

Dean, Sam, and Angela stepped back as Melvin came into the cell.

“Uh… you know what?” Dean replied. “We’re just comfy right here. But thank you.”

Henriksen appeared at the door of the cell. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“We’re not just gonna sit around here and wait to die,” Melvin replied. “We’re gonna make a run for it.”

“It’s safer here,” Henriksen replied.

“There’s a SWAT facility in boulder,” Melvin said.

Henriksen came inside the cell. “We’re not going anywhere.”

“The hell we’re not,” Melvin replied.

Henriksen shot Melvin in the head. Dean, Sam, and Angela grappled with Henriksen and Sam pushed Henriksen’s head into the toilet and began an exorcism. Phil ran around the corner with his rifle. Dean pointed Henriksen’s gun at him.

“Stay back!” Dean yelled.

Henriksen lifted his head up out of the water. His face was burning and he yelled. Angela shoved him back into the toilet bowl, in which Nancy’s rosary was floating. Sam continued the exorcism. Nancy came around the corner.

“Hurry up!” Dean said to Sam.

Henriksen lifted his head again. His eyes were black. “It’s too late. I already called them. They’re already coming.”

Angela shoved him back into the water and Sam finished the exorcism. Henriksen screamed as black smoke shot out of his mouth and up to the air vent in the ceiling. Henriksen fell to the floor as Sam and breathed heavily.

“Is he… is he dead?” Nancy asked.

Henriksen regained consciousness and coughed.

“Henriksen!” Angela exclaimed. “Hey. Is that you in there?”

Henriksen got up and sat on the bed. “I… I shot the Sheriff.”

Dean smiled after a pause. “But you didn’t shoot the Deputy.”

Sam stared at Dean in disbelief and Angela rolled her eyes.

“Five minutes ago, I was fine, and then…” Henriksen started.

“Let me guess. Some nasty black smoke jammed itself down your throat?” Dean replied.

“You were possessed,” Sam said.

“Possessed like… possessed.”

“That’s what it feels like. Now you know.” Angela replied.

“I owe the biggest ‘I told you so’ ever,” Dean said, giving Henriksen his gun back.

“Officer Amici.” Henriksen stood up and addressed Phil. “Keys…”

Phil gave Henriksen the keys. Sam, Dean, and Angela’s chains fell to the floor.

“All right, so how do we survive?” Henriksen asked.

~/~\~

Sam drew a devil’s trap on the floor with spray pain. Dean and Angela looked at the floor plans to the police station, on which two devil’s traps were drawn, while Nancy took care of his wound. Phil and Henriksen prepared guns.

“Well, that’s nice,” Dean said. “It’s not gonna do much good.”

“We got an arsenal in here,” Phil replied.

“You don’t poke a bear with a BB gun,” Dean said. “That’s just gonna make them mad.”

“What do you need?” Henriksen asked.

“Salt,” Angela said. “Lots and lots of salt.”

“Salt?” Phil asked.

“What, is there an echo in here?” Dean asked. “You heard her.”

“There’s a road salt in the storeroom,” Nancy said.

“Perfect. Perfect.” Dean nodded. “We need salt at every window and every door.”

Henriksen and Phil left.

“How you holdin’ up, Nancy?” Dean asked.

“Okay,” Nancy replied. She paused. “When I was little, I would come home from church and start to talk about the devil. My parents would tell me to stop being so literal. I guess I showed them, huh?” she added. She added the last piece of tape to Dean’s bandage. “That should hold.”

“Thank you,” Dean said.

“Sure.” She nodded.

Phil came in with bags of salt.

“Hey, where’s my car?” Dean asked.

“Impound lot out back,” Phil replied.

“Okay,” Dean said.

“Wait,” Phil replied. Dean looked at him. “You’re not going out there?”

“Yeah, I got to get something out of my trunk.”

~/~\~

Dean opened the gate to the impound lot, then the trunk of the Impala. He started putting things into a bag. The lights at a gas station flickered and thick black smoke interspersed with blue lightning raced past. The lights in the impound lot flickered and crackled. Dean grabbed some dream catcher-like amulets and turned to see the black smoke and blue and pink light coming towards him. He ran back inside as the smoke came closer.


	24. Jus in Bello Part 2

Inside the police station, Sam was drawing a devil’s trap on the floor with spray paint while the others lined the windows with salt. Dean rushed inside.

“They’re coming!” Dean yelled. “Hurry.”

Black smoke hit a window and Nancy screamed. Nancy, Sam, Dean, and Angela ran to the main office area, where Henriksen was. Dean tossed a gun to Sam. From the outside, the demon smoke was hitting the building and surrounded the windows. The lights in the main room flickered and it became darker. Nancy clutched her cross she wore around her neck and Angela stayed by her side, a comforting arm around her shoulder. Dust rained down from the ceiling as the building shook. The smoke seemed to disappear and it became quiet again.

“Everybody okay?” Angela asked.

“Define ‘okay’.” Henriksen said.

“All right, everybody needs to put these on,” Dean said. He gave each of them a protection necklace. “They’ll keep you from being possessed. There you go.”

“What about you, Sam and Angie?” Nancy asked.

Angela pulled away and lifted her shirt a bit to reveal a protection tattoo on her side. Dean and Sam showed their matching tattoos on their chests.

“Smart,” Henriksen said. “How long you had those?”

“Not long enough,” Sam replied.

~/~\~

Henriksen looked at Melvin’s nameplate, while Dean watched him. Nancy was organizing some files when she saw a crowd of people outside.

“Hey, that’s Jenna Rubner.” She commented.

The woman outside had long red hair and black eyes.

“That’s not Jenna anymore,” Sam said.

“That’s where all that black demon smoke went?” Nancy asked.

“Looks like,” Angela replied.

~/~\~

“Shotgun shells full of salt,” Henriksen commented.

Dean was filling his shotgun. “Whatever works.”

“Fighting off monsters with condiments,” Henriksen replied, taking off his tie. “So turns out demons are real.” He started filling his rifle with salt shells.

“FYI, ghosts are real too,” Dean said. “So are werewolves, vampires, changelings, and evil clowns that eat people.”

“Okay then,” Henriksen replied.

“If it makes you feel better, Bigfoot’s a hoax.” Dean smiled.

“It doesn’t,” Henriksen said. “So, how many demons?”

“Total? No clue. A lot.”

“You know what my job is?”

“You mean besides locking up the good guys?” Dean asked, walking over to Henriksen. “I have no idea.”

“My job is boring, it’s frustrating.” He said. “You work three years for one break, and then maybe you can save a few people. Maybe. That’s the payoff. I’ve been busting my ass for 15 years to nail a handful of guys and all this while, there’s something in the corner so big. So yeah… sign me up for that bug, frosty mug of wasting my damn life.”

“You didn’t know,” Dean replied.

“Now I do,” Henriksen said. He paused. “What’s out there? Can you guys beat it? Can you win?”

“Honestly, I think the world’s gonna end bloody. But it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t fight. We do have choices. I choose to go down swingin’.”

“Plus you got nothing to go home to but your brother and Angie.”

“Yeah.” Dean nodded. “What about you? You rockin’ the white picket fence?”

“Mmm-mm, empty apartment, string of angry ex-wives,” Henriksen replied. “I’m right where you are.” He chuckled.

“Imagine that.”

There was a crash and Dean and Henriksen ran into the office where Phil broke the salt line, followed by Sam and Angela. A woman had broken in.

Henriksen pointed his rifle. “How do we kill her?”

“We don’t,” Sam replied, lowering Henriksen’s gun.

“She’s a demon.”

"She’s here to help us,” Sam replied.

Phil and Nancy were now looking around the corner.

“Are you kidding?” Phil asked.

Ruby was standing near the window, breathing heavily. Dean sighed in exasperation.

“Are you gonna let me out?” she asked.

Henriksen looked at Dean. Sam scratched the devil’s trap on the floor with his knife so Ruby could get out.

“And they say chivalry’s dead,” Ruby said. “Does anyone have a breath mint? Some guts splattered in my mouth while I was killing my way in here.”

Ruby walked past everyone into the main office. Dean and Henriksen followed her, while Sam and Angela stayed to fix the salt line.

~/~\~

“How many are out there?” Dean asked.

“30 at least. That’s so far.” Ruby said.

“Oh, good.” Dean nodded. “30. 30 hitmen all gunning for us. Who sent them?”

“You didn’t tell them?” Ruby asked, looking at Sam, who was now standing in the doorway with Angela.

Dean and Angela looked at Sam, confused.

“Ooh, I’m surprised,” Ruby said.

“Tell us what?” Angela asked.

“There’s a big new up and comer,” Ruby replied. “Real pied piper.”

“Who is he?” Dean asked.

“Not he,” Ruby said. “Her. Her name is Lilith.”

“Lilith?” Dean asked.

“And she really, really wants Sam and Angie’s intestines on a stick,” Ruby replied. “’Cause she sees them as competition.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Angela frowned.

“You knew about this?” Dean asked. Sam didn’t answer Dean or Angela. “Well, gee, Sam. Is there anything else we should know?!”

“How about the three of you talk about this later?” Ruby asked. “We’ll need the Colt.” She said. She looked at Sam who didn’t meet her eyes. She looked at Dean and Angela. “Where’s the Colt?”

“It got stolen,” Angela said.

“I’m sorry,” Ruby replied. “I must have blood in my ear. I thought I just heard you say that you were stupid enough to let the Colt get grabbed out of your thick, clumsy, idiotic hands. Fantastic. This is just peachy…”

“Ruby…” Sam started.

“Shut up.” She replied. She raised her hand. “Fine. Since I don’t see that there’s any other option. There’s one other way I know how to get you out of here alive.”

“What’s that?” Dean asked.

“I know a spell.” She replied. “It’ll vaporize every demon in a one-mile radius. Myself included. So, you let the Colt out of your sight and now I have to die. So next time, be more careful. How’s that for a dying wish?”

“Okay, what do we need to do?” Dean asked.

“Aww… you can’t do anything,” Ruby replied. “This spell is very specific. It calls for a person of virtue.”

Dean nodded. “I got virtue.”

Ruby chuckled. “Nice try. You’re not a virgin.”

Dean laughed. “Nobody’s a virgin.”

Ruby looked at Dean, then at Nancy, who looked away.

“No. No way.” Dean said. “You’re kidding me, r-. You’re…”

“What? It’s a choice, okay?” Nancy replied.

“So, y-you’ve never… not even once?” Dean asked. “I mean not even, wow.”

“So, this spell,” Nancy said. “What can I do?” she smiled at Ruby.

“You can hold still while I cut your heart out of your chest.”

“What?” Nancy frowned.

“What? Are you crazy?” Dean asked.

“I’m offering a solution,” Ruby said.

“You’re offering to kill somebody,” Dean replied.

“And what do you think’s gonna happen to this girl when the demons get in?”

“We’re gonna protect her,” Henriksen said. “That’s what.”

“Excuse me,” Nancy said.

“Very noble.” Ruby nodded.

“Excuse me,” Nancy repeated.

“You’re all gonna die. Look. This is the only way.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dean replied. “There’s no way that you’re gonna—

“Would everybody please shut up?!” Nancy snapped. Dean and Ruby looked at Nancy. “All the people out there… will it save them?”

“It’ll blow the demons out of their bodies. So if their bodies are okay… yeah.” Ruby nodded.

Nancy paused and then nodded. “I’ll do it.”

“Hell no,” Henriksen said.

“No, no,” Dean said.

“Hell no,” Henriksen repeated.

“You don’t need to do this,” Dean told her.

“All my friends are out there.”

“We do not sacrifice people. We do that, we’re no better than them.” Henriksen said.

“We don’t have a choice,” Ruby replied.

“Yeah, well, your choice is not a choice,” Dean said.

“Sam, you know I’m right,” Ruby said. “So do you Angie, even though you may not wanna believe it.”

Dean and Ruby looked at Sam and Angela, who were silent.

Dean smiled slightly in the expectation that they’ll agree with him. “Sam? Angie?” he asked.

“I-I mean, it is her choice Dean…” Angela murmured.

Sam still said nothing. “What the hell is going on?” Dean asked. “Sam, tell her.”

“Angie’s right. It’s my decision.” Nancy said.

“Damn straight, cherry pie.” Ruby agreed.

“Stop! Stop! Nobody kill any virgins. Sam, Angie, I need to talk to you two.”

Dean walked into the hallway and they followed.

“Please tell me you’re not actually considering this. And Angela what the hell?” Dean said. “We’re talking about holding down a girl and cutting out her heart.”

“I’m not saying I’m for it,” Angela replied. “But it is her decision.”

Sam nodded. “And we’re also talking about 30 people out there, Dean.” He said. “Innocent people who are all gonna die, along with everyone in here.”

“It doesn’t mean that we throw away the rule book and stop acting like humans,” Dean replied. “I’m not gonna let that demon kill some nice, sweet, innocent girl, who hasn’t even been laid. I mean, look if that’s how you win wars, then I don’t want to win.”

“Then what? What do we do, Dean?” Sam asked.

Dean turned away for a moment, then back. “I got a plan. I’m not saying it’s a good one. I’m not even saying that it’ll work. But it sure as hell beats killing a virgin.”

“Okay, so what’s the plan?” Angela asked.

“Open the doors, let them all in and we fight,” Dean answered.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela walked in.

“Get the equipment to work?” Dean asked.

“Yeah.” Sam nodded.

“So?”

“So this is insane,” Angela said.

“You win ‘understatement of the year’,” Ruby replied.

“Look, I get it, you think—

“I don’t think… I know.” Ruby cut him off. “It’s not gonna work.” She stood up to leave. “So long, you three.”

“So you’re just gonna leave?” Sam asked.

“Hey. I was gonna kill myself to help you win.” Ruby replied. “I’m not gonna stand here and watch you lose.” She walked closer to Sam. “And I’m disappointed because I tried. I really did, but clearly I bet on the wrong horse.” She said. Sam said nothing. “Do you mind letting me out?”

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Henriksen, and Angela were ready in their positions at different spots in the building. Sam and Angela were in the main office, while Dean and Henriksen were near outside doors.

“All set?” Dean asked.

“Yeah!” Sam and Angela replied.

“Ready!” Henriksen said.

“Let’s do this,” Dean said.

They broke the salt lines and the devil’s traps protecting the doors. Henriksen threw open an outside door. At first, nothing happened, but then suddenly a demon swung from the doorway and kicked at Henriksen with his feet. Demons ran inside and Dean, Sam, and Angela shot. A demon tackled Sam to the ground. One of the demons pinned Henriksen against the wall. Sam fought hand-to-hand with the demon who tackled him. Henriksen reached for a flask from his pocket.

“God, I hope this works.” He said.

He opened the flask and splashed the holy water on the demon. He grabbed his gun and moved further down the hallway. He and Dean each shot a demon while back to back.

“Go! Go! Go!” Dean yelled.

Henriksen and Dean moved in opposite directions. Henriksen swung at a demon with his rifle in the hallway and Sam and Angela fought with the demons in the main office. There were now many demons in the building.

~/~\~

Dean fought demons in the hallway.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela each flung holy water at demons in the main office.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela flung holy water at the demons. When their flasks were empty, the demons gathered around them.

~/~\~

Demon Jenna climbed over a desk and walked towards Sam. She stretched out an arm, which sent Sam, Dean and Angela flying against the wall. They gasped in pain and looked at each other.

“Henriksen, now!” Dean yelled.

~/~\~

Henriksen struggled with a demon as he tried to play a tape. He managed to turn it on and Sam’s voice speaking an exorcism came from speakers all over the office. The demons covered their ears.

~/~\~

“Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursion infernalis adversarii…” Sam’s voice from the recording said.

~/~\~

“Omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica, ergo, draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica, adjuramus te, cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque aeternae persitionis venenum propinare vade, satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis, humiliare sub potenti manu dei…”

As the exorcism continued to air over the loudspeakers, demons flailed and screamed. Jenna reached up to cover her ear. Sam, Dean and Angela were still pinned to the wall. Demons pounded against the outside doors, trying to get out. Black smoke began to pour from the demons’ mouths. The bodies of the possessed people fell to the ground as the smoke swirled around the ceiling.

“Contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomini quem inferi tremunt ab insidiis diabolic, libera nos, domine. Excorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursion infernailis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregation et secta diabolica ergo, draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica, adjuramus te cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque aeternae perditionis venenum propinare ut ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias liberate servire, te rogamus, audi nos!”

~/~\~

There was an explosion of light on the ceiling, then everything went still. Sam, Dean, and Angela slid down the wall to the floor and looked at each other. They got to their feet, groaning. Henriksen walked into the office and chuckled slightly as he wiped the blood from his lip. Dean shrugged. The people who had been possessed started to get up.

“I better call in. Hell of a story I won’t be telling.” Henriksen said.

“So what are you gonna tell them?” Angela asked.

“The least ridiculous lie I can come up within the next five minutes.”

“Good luck with that,” Dean said. “Not to pressure you or anything, but what are you planning to do about us?”

“I’m gonna kill you. Sam and Dean Winchester and Angela Morgan were in the chopper when it caught on fire. Nothing left. Can’t even identify them with dental records.” Henriksen replied. Sam and Angela smiled. “Rest in peace guys.”

Sam, Dean, and Angela shook hands with Henriksen.

“Now get out of here.”

“Yeah…” Sam replied.

Sam, Dean, and Angela left as Henriksen placed a call.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were lying together on their backs on a bed when there was a knock at the door. Sam and Angela sat up and Dean opened the door. It was Ruby.

She walked into the room. “Turn on the news.”

Sam turned on the television.

 _“The community is still recovering from the tragedy that happened just a few hours ago.”_ A reporter said. _“Authorities believe a gas main ruptured…”_

Dean sat down on the other bed opposite Sam and Angela.

 _“…causing the massive explosion that ripped apart the police station and claimed the lives of everyone inside.”_ The reporter continued. _“Among the deceased, at least six police officers and staff, including Sheriff Melvin Dodd, Deputy Phil Amici, and secretary Nancy Fitzgerald as well as three FBI agents, identified as Steven Groves, Calvin Reidy, and Victor Henriksen.”_

The news showed their pictures.

_“Three fugitives in custody were also killed. We’ll continue to follow the story here at the scene, but for now, back to you, Jim.”_

Ruby turned off the television and looked at the three with an ‘I-told-you-so’ look.

“Must have happened right after we left,” Sam muttered.

“Considering the size of the blast,” she started, tossing hex bags to them. “Smart money’s on Lilith.”

“What’s in these?” Dean asked.

“Something that’ll protect you. Throw Lilith of your trail… for the time being.”

“Thanks,” Angela said.

“Don’t thank me,” Ruby replied. “Lilith killed everyone. She slaughtered your precious little virgin, plus half a dozen other people. So after your big speech about humanity and war, turns out your plan was the one with the body count.” She added. “Do you know how to run a battle? You strike fast and you don’t leave any survivors. So no one can go running to tell the boss. So next time… we go with my plan.”

Ruby left. Dean just looked at Sam and Angela.


	25. Ghostfacers Part 1

“Stay low,” Ed said. “Follow information. Okay, as suspected. A lot of people have tried to break into the Morton House. The local authorities have just gotten fed up.”

“Looks like the cops have got this place pretty well fenced off,” Harry added.

“Wait,” Maggie frowned. “Didn’t you guys get, like, a permit or something?”

“A permit?” Harry asked. “That’s a good idea for next time.”

“Yeah,” Ed agreed.

“Car!” Spruce warned.

“Car. Shh, shh! Flashlights off.” Harry instructed.

“Keep totally still,” Maggie whispered.

There was a loud rumble of a car engine approaching, along with a radio playing ‘We’re an American Band’. It was the Impala, driven by Dean, slowing to a crawl, with Sam in the passenger’s seat and Angela in the back. Sam was shining a flashlight towards the Morton House before they drove away.

“It’s okay. No cops, just hicks.” Spruce said.

“Ed’s got it.”

Ed opened the gate with wire cutters. “Guys, let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go! Go! Go!”

~/~\~

“Oh, god,” Corbett said. “Okay, it was just… I think it was just a branch… okay… in the window.”

“This is spooky, man. This place…” Ed added.

“Okay. Oh, no!” Corbett exclaimed.

Corbett and Ed were confronted by three figures approaching with flashlights.

“Freeze!” Dean yelled. “Police officers! Don’t move!”

“All right. All right. All right.” Sam said. “Take it easy, take it easy.”

“Let’s see some identification,” Angela added.

“Come on. Let’s see some I.D.” Sam said.

“What, are we under, under arrest?” Corbett asked.

“We are unarmed,” Ed said.

“Oh, god. Oh, god.” Corbett said.

“Want to explain that weirdo outfit, Mr., uh, Corbett?” Dean asked.

“I know you,” Ed said.

“Yeah, sure you do,” Dean replied. “Give me some identification.”

“Yeah, ho, whoa, hold on a second,” Ed said. “I know two of you. Yeah.” He said. “Not the cutie, though.” He added.

Angela looked at Sam and Dean. “You know this guy?” she asked. She looked at Ed. “And don’t _ever_ call me cutie again.”

Corbett looked at Ed. “What?”

“Yeah, huh,” Ed muttered.

“Holy s---!” Sam exclaimed.

“What?” Dean asked.

Sam looked at Angela. “Uh, West Texas…” he started. He looked at Dean. “The… the tulpa we had to take out. Those two goofballs that almost got us killed… the hellhounds or something?”

“F--- me.” Dean groaned.

“Yeah, we’re not hellhounds anymore, okay?” Ed replied. “It didn’t test that well.”

“Ed, what’s going on?” Corbett asked.

“They’re not cops, buddy, no, not at all,” Ed replied.

“Ed, Ed, you had a partner, too, didn’t you, a different guy?” Dean asked.

“Oh, yeah, yeah.” Ed nodded.

“Is he around here somewhere?” Dean asked.

“He’s running around, chasing ghosts.”

“Okay, well, listen, you and Rambo need to get your girlfriends and get out of here,” Dean replied.

“All right,” Ed replied. “Listen here, chisel chest, okay? We were here first. We’ve already set up base camp. We beat you.”

Angela looked at Sam and Dean. “Aww, cute, they were here first.”

“Mm-hmm, that’s right sweetheart,” Ed replied.

Angela grabbed Ed roughly, glaring.

“Oh, god.” He said.

“Ed…” she whispered. “My name’s Angela.” She continued glaring. “And also,” she started.

“Yeah?” he asked.

“…where’s your partner?” she raised a brow.

~/~\~

“What are you doing in the Morton House, Ed, on leap year, what are you thinking?” Dean asked.

“We’re here to spend the night, okay?” Ed replied. He looked at Angela and smirked. “It’s for our TV show.” He said. “Impressed yet?” he asked. Angela just rolled her eyes.

“What?” Sam asked. “Great. Perfect.” He added. He eyed Ed. “I’d also appreciate if you’d stop attempting to flirt with my girlfriend.”

Ed looked at Angela. “You’re dating him?” he asked. “Really?”

She smiled and took Sam’s hand. “And I am very happy with him.” 

Corbett tried getting back on topic. “Yeah, nobody’s ever spent the night before.”

“Uh, actually, yeah, they have,” Dean said.

“Uh, we’ve never heard of them,” Ed replied.

“Yeah, you know why?” Angela asked. “’Cause the ones that have haven’t lived to talk about it!”

“Oh, come on, I don’t believe you,” Ed replied.

“Look, missing persons report going back almost half a century,” Sam said. “John Graham stayed on a dare, gone. Julie Wilkerson, gone. There are tons more. All of them came to just stay the night though, always on a leap year. The only body they ever found was the last owner, Freeman Daggett.”

“These look legit,” Ed replied.

“They are legit,” Angela said. “Look, Ed, we ain’t got much time here, buddy. Starting at midnight your friends are going to die.”

Harry, Maggie, and Spruce ran down the stairs and into the living room.

“Oh, my god!” Harry yelled. “Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Guys! Guys! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! We got one! Corbett! Corbett, we saw one! We saw one!”

“Get outta here!” Ed replied.

“It was a full apparition!” Harry said. “It was like a class four. It was a spectral illumination! It…”

“It was amazing!” Maggie said.

Harry noticed Sam, Dean, and Angela. “Hey, aren’t those the a-------s from Texas? Though the chick is new…”

“Yes,” Ed replied. “And she’s dating Sasquatch over there.” He added.

“All right, let’s have this reunion across the street, guys.” Dean cut in.

“Crap,” Harry said. “What are you guys doing here?”

“Come on, come on,” Dean said. “We’ll get you ice cream, our treat. What do you say? Let’s go.”

“Yeah, I say no,” Harry replied.

“Look at this,” Maggie added. “Look, look. Ed, Ed. No. No. Look at this. Okay, honest-to-god proof, all right?”

Maggie showed the group their footage on the laptop.

“Are you kidding me?” Ed asked.

“Yeah. No, not kidding.” Harry said.

“What kind of reading did we get?” Spruce asked.

“Uh, it was a 10.9,” Harry replied.

“10.9?” Ed asked.

“Yeah, it was a 10.9.” Harry nodded. “It was almost 11. I came out, and I was like, ‘what’s going on?’ and I was like, wait, watch this. Oh! He got blasted. It was crazy.”

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked away from the group and talked amongst themselves. Spruce followed them, still recording them on his camera.

“Think we were off on this?” Sam asked. “I mean, that was just a death echo.”

“Yeah, but what’s it doing here?” Dean asked. “Did anybody get shot here?”

“No, not that I could find,” Angela replied.

“What’s a death echo?” Spruce asked.

“Look, we got a problem here,” Angela said. “That ghost ain’t it.”

“Yeah, that’s real. Like, that happened.” Harry said.

“What’s a death echo?” Spruce repeated.

“Echoes are trapped in a loop, okay?” Dean replied. “They keep replaying how they died over and over and over again, usually in the place where they were ganked. It’s about as dangerous as a scary movie.”

“So maybe the echo’s not dangerous, but maybe something else is,” Sam said.

“You’re right. All right, we need to get out of here, guys.” Dean said. “Come on. Let’s go. Let’s go. Let’s go. Pack it up.”

“Guys, time is running out!” Angela yelled.

“We’re moving!” Dean shouted.

“What about all of our equipment?” Maggie asked. “What are we gonna…”

“Lots of fun. Let’s go.” Dean said.

“We got more material. We got all kinds of stuff. We’ll make you guys recurring guest stars.” Harry said.

“Wait! Wait!!” Ed yelled. “Where’s Corbett?”

~/~\~

“No man left behind,” Ed said.

An anguished scream was heard in the distance.

“That was Corbett,” Ed told them.

“That was Corbett!” Harry exclaimed. “Corbett!”

“Corbett! It’s okay!” Maggie exclaimed.

Ed, Harry, and Maggie ran upstairs while Sam, Dean, and Angela protested.

“We’ll get him! Go back!” Dean yelled.

“Guys!” Sam shouted.

“S---!” Angela exclaimed.

~/~\~

“No! Where are you, dude?”

“Tell us where you are!”

“Corbett!”

“Let me go!!” Corbett yelled. “Guys!!”

“Corbett, you need to come back, Corbett,” Ed replied.

“No!!!!” Corbett screamed.

“Hey! Hey! Hey!” Dean yelled. “Come on.”

Corbett’s screams continued, fading away.

“Corbett’s… he’s not here,” Sam said. “Let’s go. Let’s go.”

“No. No. No.” Harry replied. “But that’s Corbett. No, that was Corbett. Didn’t you hear that?”

“Go, go, go, come on,” Dean said.

“Guys. Guys. Guys. He’s that way.” Angela said.

“Here we go. Here we go. Keep it moving. Keep it moving.”

“Corbett?” Ed asked.

“Hey, hey, hey. Watch him. Watch him.” Sam said.

Dean thumped Harry with his flashlight. “Go. Go. Move. Move. Turn it off!”

There was static.

~/~\~

“Oh, god, what’s happened?” Ed asked. “Oh, god. He’s gone. He just disappeared.”

“Okay, let’s just go through all the angles. Let’s go through all the cameras we have.” Harry said.

“Well, it’s 12:04, Dean,” Angela said. “You good? You happy?”

“Yeah, I am happy.”

“’Let’s go hunt the Morton House,’ you said, ‘it’s our Grand Canyon,” Sam said.

“Guys, I don’t want to hear this,” Dean replied.

“You got two months left, Dean. Instead, we’re gonna die tonight.” Sam said.

Sam picked up a chair and smashed it against the sealed front door.

“Whoa!” Spruce exclaimed. “What the hell is going on guys?”

“I’ll tell you what’s going on,” Angela replied. “Every door, every window, I’m guessing every exit out of this house, they’re all sealed.”

“But w-why are they sealed?” Maggie asked.

“It’s a supernatural lockdown, okay? Whatever took Corbett doesn’t want us to leave, and it’s no death echo.” Dean replied. “This is a bad mother, and it wants us scared.”

“Or it just wants us,” Maggie said.

The EMF detector went off. There was more camera interference as harry sidled up to Maggie as the secretly held hands.

“Uh, guys, the camera’s fritzing again,” Spruce said.

“Whoa. Whoa.” Ed replied. “Guys, the EMF’s starting to spike. This is a big one!”

“Everybody, stay close. There’s something coming.” Sam said, pulling Angela close.

Another apparition appeared.

“Whoa!” Everyone yelled.

“Is this the same echo you guys saw earlier?” Dean asked.

“No, it’s a different guy,” Harry replied.

“Multiple echoes? What the hell’s going on?” Angela asked.

“Beats me,” Sam said.

“Okay. All right. All right. All right.” Dean said. Dean started to yell at the apparition. “Uh, hey, buddy! Hey. Hey. Wake up. You’re dead! Hello!”

“What’s he doing? What’s he doing?” Harry asked.

“It’s rare, but sometimes you can shock an echo out of its loop if you can talk to the part of the ghost that’s still human, but usually you have to have some kind of connection to the deceased,” Sam replied.

“Come on! Wake up! Be dead!”

There was camera interference; the apparition flickered and turned around.

“You guys hear that?” Harry asked.

“What’s that sound?” Ed asked.

“You guys hear that?” Harry repeated.

“Snap out of it, buddy, huh? Come on, what are you waiting for? You’re gonzo! You’re dead!”

A bright light shined on the apparition and the sound of a car horn approached. The apparition flew backward as if hit by an invisible vehicle.

“Where the hell did it go?” Harry asked.

~/~\~

The group followed Sam, Dean, and Angela down the hallway.

“Dude, there’s no records of any of this here,” Dean said. “No one got shot here. Obviously, no one got run over by a freaking train.”

“Stay close,” Angela said.

“Did the echoes take Corbett?” Maggie asked.

“Yes. No. I don’t know.” Dean replied. “We don’t know what’s doing what here; that’s what we’re trying to figure out, okay?”

“All right, stay close,” Sam said. “Okay, look, um, death echoes are ghosts, okay? Now, ghosts, they usually haunt places where they lived or where they died.”

“Except these mooks didn’t like or die here,” Dean said.

“Right.” Sam nodded.

“So, what are they doing here?” Maggie asked.

“Hey, give the lady a cigar,” Dean replied. “All right, seriously, does looking at this nightmare through that camera make you feel better or something? I mean…”

“Um… I, uh… well, yeah. Uh, yeah. I think so.”

“Oh.” Dean nodded.

The group continued to walk through the house. They entered a room full of stuffed animal heads on the walls, as well as file cabinets.

Angela held up a broken framed certificate. “Freeman Daggett, house’s last owner, officially commended for 20 years of fine service at the Gamble General Hospital.”

“He was a Doctor?” Dean asked.

“Janitor,” Sam said.

“This looks like his den,” Dean replied. “When’d you say he died, ’64?”

“Yeah, heart attack.” Angela nodded.

“What are these, c-rations?” Maggie asked.

“Yeah, army-issued, three squares, like a lifetime supply,” Dean replied.

“God, is that all he ate?”

“One-stop shopping,” Dean said. “Hello, locked.”

“Oh, come on, guys,” Ed said. “This is ridiculous. I mean, how the hell is this supposed to find Corbett, huh? We should be digging up the friggin’ floorboards right now.”

Sam held up a dusty pamphlet. “Huh ‘Survival Under Atomic Attack.’ An optimist.”

There was a loud bang as Dean pried the safe open.

Dean leafed through the file box. “Crap. Crap. Taxidermy. Okay. You said Daggett was a hospital janitor?”

“Yea.” Sam nodded.

“Ewww,” Dean replied. “Got three tags here, one, death by gunshots, train accident, and suicide.”

“Ewwwwww!” Sam said.

“Aw, gross,” Angela said.

“What?” Harry asked.

“Well, that explains why all the death echoes are here,” Angela answered. “They’re here because their bodies are here… somewhere in the house?”

“Daggett brought the remains home from the morgue. To play.” Dean said.

“Ewwwww! Ugh!” Harry and Ed replied.

“That’s nasty, dude,” Spruce said.

“Right.” Sam nodded.

“Wait a minute,” Dean said.

“Corbett,” Maggie added. Maggie startled herself by coming across her own reflection in a mirror. “Okay, Maggie.”

There was camera interference. Maggie swung the camera around, frightened, to reveal Dean.

“Closer to the herd, okay?” He said.

“Maggie? Maggie?” Harry asked.

“She’s fine,” Dean said.

“Harry,” Ed said. “Harry, I got an 8.6 and climbing fast. Something huge is coming. Look. Something big is coming.”

There was more camera interference.

“It’s past 11, you guys,” Harry said.

“What?” Dean asked. “Nobody move! Hold on. Hold on. Stay quiet.”

There was more camera interference, then suddenly, Sam who stood next to Dean and Angela, disappeared into thin air.

“It’s really cold in here,” Ed said.

“Harry?” Maggie asked.

“Sam?” Dean asked.

“Sam?” Angela frowned.

“Some kind of surge,” Ed said.

“Sam?” Dean asked.

“Where’d he go?” Spruce asked.

“Oh, no,” Maggie said.

Dean found Sam’s dropped flashlight and picked it up.

“Sam!” Dean and Angela yelled.


	26. Ghostfacers Part 2

“Sammy!” Dean yelled.

“Corbett! Sam!” Ed called.

“Sam!” Angela shouted.

“Corbett! Talk to us!” Harry shouted.

“Sam!” Dean called.

“Corbett! Corbett!”

“Sam!” Angela yelled.

The camera swung around to center on Maggie and Harry.

“God, I am so scared. I’m so scared.” Maggie whispered.

“It’s gonna be okay,” Harry replied. “It’s gonna be okay, Maggie.”

Maggie and Harry started to kiss.

~/~\~

Ed was in the hallway.

“Corbett!” he shouted.

Maggie and Harry were still making out.

“Bom-chicka-bow-wow…whoa,” Spruce said.

Ed found Maggie and Harry.

“My best friend… and my best sister.”

“Ed,” Harry said.

“Harry.”

“Ed.”

“Harry.”

“Ed. Listen, Ed.” Harry tried.

“Are you banging my sister?”

“No! No!” Harry exclaimed.

“Hold my glasses,” Ed told Spruce.

“You got it.”

“Ed,” Harry said.

Ed attacked Harry.

“Ed! Ed! Ed! Ed! Ed!”

“Guys!” Spruce shouted.

Dean and Angela showed up and broke up the fight.

“What the f--- are you doing?!” Angela yelled. “Cut it out!”

“We’re down by two people,” Dean added. “Sam! Sammy!”

“Great,” Maggie muttered.

“Sorry,” Harry mumbled.

“I’m sorry,” Ed said. “Give me my glasses. Did he knock my, my tooth there?”

“Uh, no,” Spruce replied.

“I won that, right?” Ed asked.

“Yep. You’re good.” Spruce nodded.

“Thanks, Spruce,” Harry said sarcastically.

“Yeah, it’s my fault,” Spruce said.

“That’s real great. That’s nice. Thanks.” Maggie said.

~/~\~

‘It’s My Party’ was playing in the background. There was a take with a cake and confetti.

“Corbett. Corbett.” Sam said. “Hey. Corbett, hey.”

“Sam?” Corbett asked.

“Corbett, hey, you got to keep listening to my voice, okay?” Sam replied. “I’m right here. Stay awake.”

“Don’t listen,” Daggett replied. He picked up a knife. “It stops hurting, so don’t worry.”

“Corbett, stay with me,” Sam said. “Stay with me, you got it? I’m right here. Hey. Stay with me. Don’t. Don’t.”

Daggett stabbed Corbett through the throat.

“No. Corbett! No! Corbett!” Sam yelled.

~/~\~

“Corbett!” Harry shouted. “Where’d you guys go?”

“Where are you guys?” Maggie asked.

“Dean, what are you doing?” Harry asked.

“Okay, so Daggett was a cold war nut, okay?” Dean replied. “He was, he was an amateur taxidermist. He liked to slow dance with cadavers, and all he ate were c-rations, so what the hell are we looking for?!”

“Horrible little life,” Maggie said.

“Yeah, a lonely life… a cold war life,” Angela replied. “He was scared. He was scared… he was scared.”

“Scared of what?” Harry asked. “What? Angela, what are you doing?”

“Wait, don’t leave me in here, you guys,” Maggie said.

~/~\~

“Get away from me,” Sam said.

“This won’t hurt,” Daggett replied. “It’s okay. It’s okay. Relax. Relax.”

Daggett strapped a party hat onto Sam, who was tied to a chair, while Corbett slumped dead at the other end of the table.

~/~\~

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Maggie said. “Where are you two going?”

“Guys like Daggett back then, the ones who were really scared of the Russkies, they built bomb shelters,” Dean replied.

“We’re guessing he’s got one. I’ll bet you it’s in the basement.” Angela added.

The door slammed behind Dean and Angela, cutting them and Spruce off from Harry, Ed, and Maggie.

“Whoa!” Harry exclaimed.

“Whoa! That is not funny!” Ed yelled.

“Um, who closed the door?” Spruce asked.

“It did,” Dean replied. “It wants to separate us.” He said.

“Ed! Listen to me!” Angela said to the door.

“What?” Ed asked.

“There’s some salt in Dean’s duffel. Make a circle and get inside.”

“Inside?” Ed asked.

“That’s stupid,” Harry added.

“Inside his duffel bag?” Ed asked.

“In the salt, you idiots!” Angela shouted.

“Oh, okay,” Ed replied. “Yeah. Yeah.”

Dean and Angela continued down the basement stairs.

~/~\~

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Spruce asked.

“What?” Dean asked.

“Earlier, you, Sam and Angela, he said you had two months left?”

“Yeah, it’s complicated,” Dean replied. “A while ago, Sam and Angie… no. No. No. I’m not gonna whine about my f------- problems to some f------- reality show. I’m gonna do my f------ job.”

“Is it cancer?” Spruce asked.

“Shut up,” Angela replied. “You hear that?”

~/~\~

“I’ve been waiting for some more friends,” Daggett said. “I get lonely. But you’re coming to my party, aren’t you?”

~/~\~

“Is that music?” Spruce asked.

“Yeah, it’s coming from behind this wall,” Dean said.

He singlehandedly pushed a cabinet away from the wall.

“Wow, you’re strong,” Spruce said.

Dean simply flipped off the camera.

~/~\~

“You’ll stay a good, long time,” Daggett said.

Angela broke the door open to the bomb shelter. “Sam!” She exclaimed.

Dean shot Daggett, then untied Sam.

“Oh god,” Spruce said.

They saw the whole birthday table, with the party guests of old corpses and one new corpse, Corbett.

“Oh, no, Corbett,” Spruce said.

~/~\~

“What’s this Daggett guy’s problem anyway?” Spruce asked.

“Loneliness,” Sam replied, wrapping an arm around Angela’s waist.

“What, he’s never heard of a Realdoll?” Dean asked.

“No, no, no, Daggett was the Norman Bates, stuff-your-mother kind of lonely,” Sam said. “I mean, that’s why he lifted these bodies from the morgue, threw himself a birthday party, except they were the only ones who would come. Anyway, so, at midnight, he sealed them in the bomb shelter and went upstairs and o.d.’d on horse tranqs.”

“How do you know this?” Angela asked curiously.

“’Cause he told me,” Sam replied.

“Oh. Yeah.” Dean nodded. “Okay, so now that he’s dead, what? Same song, different verse, trying to get people to come to his party?”

“Pretty much, yeah. Stay forever.” Sam said.

“Are those real bullets?” Spruce asked.

“It’s rock salt,” Dean replied.

~/~\~

Dean was attempting to break down the basement door that was sill separating Dean, Sam, Angela, and Spruce from the others.

“Seriously, you’re still shooting?” Sam asked.

“It makes him feel better. Don’t ask.” Dean replied.

There was camera interference and flickering.

“Ah, hell, guys. Get in your ghost-role thing. Something’s coming.” Spruce said.

His camera swung around, revealing the ghost of Daggett, who knocked Spruce and his camera to the ground.

“Oh, my, oh!!!” Spruce yelled.

Daggett approached Spruce but was shot and dissipated by Angela.

~/~\~

“Take it easy,” Angela said. “You all right?”

There was camera interference and flickering. The ghost of Daggett appeared behind Dean.

“Uh, guys…” Spruce said.

Daggett threw Dean, then Sam and Angela against the wall, then was about to attack Spruce.

“This is bad, very bad,” Spruce said.

There was more camera interference and the lights flickered again. Corbett appeared behind Daggett.

“Corbett?” Spruce asked.

Corbett’s ghost attacked Daggett and they both disappeared in a blinding flash of light.

“You all right, dude?” Spruce asked.

Sam, Dean, and Angela picked themselves up off the floor.

“You all right?” Spruce asked.

“God,” Sam said.

Dean looked back at the camera, covering the lens with his hand.

~/~\~

The door to the Morton House opened, and Ed, Sam, Dean, Angela, Harry, and Maggie exited. Harry and Maggie paused to hug, Angela gave Sam a quick kiss, and afterward Sam gave Ed his phone number on a scrap of paper.

“Leap year, February 29th, the Morton House,” Ed said. “A tragic day. A day of souls bound in torment, of lives held in cruel balance. But the Ghostfacers, they did the best that they could.”

“We lost a beloved friend, but gained new allies,” Harry added.

~/~\~

“We know this much: that every day, including today, is a new beginning. We learned more than we can say in the brutal feat of the Morton House.”

“The Ghostfacers were forced to face something far more scary than ghosts. They were forced to face themselves.”

“War changes man.”

“And Maggie.”

“War changed man. And one woman… you know Corbett, we just… ah gosh, we just like to think that you’re out there, watching over us.”

“As far as we’re concerned, you’re not an intern anymore. You have more than earned full Ghostfacer status. Plus, it would be cool to have a ghost on the team.”

“Yeah. Heh heh.” Ed said. “And here we were thinking that, you know, we were teaching you and all this time you were teaching us, about heart, about dedication, and about how gay love can pierce through the veil of death and save the day. Thank you, Alan J. Corbett.”

“Go well into that starry night, young Turk. Go well.

~/~\~

_“Come on, Spruce, I gotta get all this stuff packed up!” Corbett said._

_“So, pack and talk!”_

_“I don’t know what to say.”_

_“Say what comes to mind. This is one of our confessional moments, Corbett, so confess. What did you think was gonna happen tonight? What do you think is going to happen on this trip?”_

_“I think tonight, I really do, I think all of our dreams are going to come true. Does that sound stupid?”_

_“Kind of does, yeah.”_

_In Memory of Alan J. Corbett, 1985-2008 King of the Impossible._

Sam, Dean, and Angela watched all of that on the computer monitor, along with the remaining Ghostfacers.

~/~\~

“So, guys, what do you think? Are you alright?” Ed asked.

“You know, I kind of think it was half-awesome,” Dean replied.

“Yeah, it was okay.” Angela nodded.

“Half-awesome? Okay? That, that’s full-on good, right?” Maggie asked.

“Yeah, um, I mean it’s bizarre how you all are able to honor Corbett’s memory while grossly exploiting the manner of his death,” Sam replied. “Well done.”

Dean secretly slipped something into a backpack under the table. “Yeah. It’s a real tight rope you guys are walking there.” Dean said.

“Yeah, all right guys,” Angela said.

“Nah, that’s reality, guys,” Ed replied. “Yeah, Corbett gave his life searching for the truth, and it’s our job over here to share it with the world.”

“Right.” Sam nodded. “Well, um, our experience, you know what you get when you show the world the truth?”

“A straightjacket,” Angela said. “Or a punch in the face. Sometimes both.”

“Right.” Sam nodded.

“Oh come on, guys, don’t be ‘facer haters just because we happen to have gotten the footage of the century,” Harry said.

“Oh yeah.”

“You got us there.”

“Yeah, well we’ll see you guys around.”

“Peace out,” Spruce said.

Sam, Dean, and Angela left. Ed shut the door behind them.

~/~\~

“We clean?” Angela asked.

“No! Are you kidding me?” Ed yelled from in the distance.

“Electromagnet wiped out every tape and hard drive that they have,” Dean replied.

“The world just isn’t ready for the Ghostfacers,” Sam said.

“It’s too bad.” Deans said. “I kinda liked the show.”

“It had its moments,” Angela said. She smiled up at Sam and kissed him softly. “I’m glad you’re safe, Sammy.” She murmured.

He smiled into the kiss, pulling her close. “Me too.” 

They got in the Impala and drove off.


	27. Long Distance Call Part 1

Sam and Angela walked across a city square towards Dean sitting on a bench.

“Yep. I got it.” Dean said into the phone. “Okay, bye.” Dean hung up then in one motion picked up and threw an unopened can of soda to both Sam and Angela, stood up, and shoved the last of the food he was eating into his mouth. “So?” Dean asked. Chewing.

“So, the professor doesn’t know crap,” Sam said.

“Shocking,” Dean replied. “Pack your panties, guys, we’re hitting the road.”

“What? What’s up?” Angela asked.

“That was Bobby,” Dean replied. “Some banker guy blew his head off in Ohio and he thinks there’s a spirit involved.”

“So you two were talking a case?” Sam asked.

“No, we were actually talking about our feelings. And then our favorite boy bands.” Dean replied. “Yeah, we were talking a case!”

“So a spirit, what?” Angela asked.

“Yeah, the banker was talking about some sort of electrical problems at his pad for like a week,” Dean said. “Phone was going haywire, computer was flipping on and off.”

“Huh…” Sam said.

“This is not ringing your bell?” Dean asked.

“Well, sure, yeah,” Sam replied. “But, Dean, we’re already on a case.”

“Whose?” Dean asked.

“Yours,” Sam said.

“Right. Yeah. Well, you coulda fooled me.”

“What the hell else have we been doing lately other than trying to break your deal?” Sam asked.

“Chasing our tails, that’s what,” Dean replied. “Sam, we’ve talked to every professor, witch, soothsayer and two-bit carny act in the lower 48. Nobody knows squat! And we can’t find Bela, we can’t find the Colt. So until we actually find something, I’d like to do my job. And I think Angie would too.”

“Well, there’s one thing we haven’t tried yet…” Sam muttered.

“Sam, no,” Dean replied.

“We should summon Ruby,” Sam suggested.

“I’m not gonna have this fight with you,” Dean replied.

“She said she knows how to save you.” Sam retorted.

“Well, she can’t,” Dean said.

“Oh really, you know that for sure?” Sam asked.

“I do.” Dean nodded.

“How?”

“Because she told me, okay!”

“What?” Angela breathed.

“She told me,” Dean repeated. “Flat out. She can’t save me, nobody can.”

“And you just somehow neglected to mention this to us?” Sam asked.

“Well, I really don’t care what that bitch thinks, Angie doesn’t seem to care either and neither should you, so…”

“So what, now you’re keeping secrets from me, Dean?” Sam asked.

“You really wanna talk about who's keeping secrets from who?” Dean retorted.

They stared at each other in silence for a long moment. Sam turned away.

“Sam?” Angela asked.

“Now where you going?”

“Guess I’m going to Ohio,” Sam replied.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela in the Impala turned into the driveway of the house where Ben died.

“I found him there.” Mrs. Waters said, pointing to a spot in the study.

“Why don’t you tell us everything you saw, Mrs. Waters,” Angela said softly.

“You mean besides my dead husband?”

“Just everything else you saw,” Sam replied. “Please.”

She sighed. “Blood. Everywhere.” She said. “The phone was ripped from the wall, his favorite scotch on the desk, what else could you possibly want to know?”

“Why was the phone ripped from the wall?” Angela asked.

“I don’t know.” Mrs. Waters shrugged.

“You mind if I take a look?” Sam asked.

“I already went over this with the other Detectives.”

“We’ll be out of your hair in no time, ma’am,” Dean replied.

Sam pressed a few buttons. “Ma’am, what time did your husband die?”

She sighed again. “Sometime after 11.”

Sam waited until Dean and Angela looked at him, then tapped the phone display.

“What about strange phone calls?” Angela asked. “Receive any of those lately, weird interference, static, anything like that?”

“No.” Mrs. Waters replied defensively.

Dean raised his eyebrows at her.

“No!”

“Mrs. Waters, withholding information from the police is a capital offense,” Dean said.

Angela smacked him discreetly and Sam cleared his throat. Dean glanced at them.

“In some parts of the world, I’m sure,” Dean said under his breath.

Mrs. Waters sighed. “A couple of weeks ago, uh… there was this…”

“This what?” Angela asked.

“I woke up one morning, I heard Ben in his study. I thought he was talking to a woman.”

“What made you think that?” Sam asked.

“Because he kept calling her Linda.” Mrs. Waters replied. “The thing is, I picked up the other line and nobody was there, Ben was talking to nobody.”

“There was nothing?” Angela asked.

“Just static.”

“Did you ever speak to Ben about this phone call?” Sam quizzed.

“No. I should have but… no.”

“Did he ever say who Linda was?” Sam asked.

Mrs. Waters was getting upset. “What difference does it make, there was nobody on the other end!”

The three hunters exchanged a look.

~/~\~

Dean was at the laptop, Sam and Angela were sitting on the bed.

“Linda’s a babe,” Dean said. “Or, was.”

Sam rose. “Did you find her?”

“Yeah, Linda Bateman,” Dean said. “She and Ben Waters were high school sweethearts.”

“So what happened?” Angela asked.

“Drunk driver hit them head-on. Ben walked away.”

“So, what then? Dead flame calls to chat?” Sam asked.

“You would think, but Linda was cremated,” Dean said. “So why’s she still floating around?”

“You got me,” Angela muttered.

“What about that, uh, caller I.D.?” Dean asked.

“Turns out, it’s a phone number,” Sam said.

“No phone number I’ve ever seen,” Dean said.

“Yeah, ‘cause it’s about a century old, back from when phones had cranks,” Angela replied.

“So why use that number to reach out and touch someone?” Dean asked.

“Got me there too, but we should put a trace on it,” Sam said.

“Well, how the hell are we going to put a trace on something that’s over 100 years old?” Dean asked.

~/~\~

Dean, Sam, and Angela followed a suited man down the stairs and along a hallway.

“We don’t get many folks from HQ down here.” The man said.

“Yes well, the main office mentioned that there would be lunch,” Dean replied.

Sam gave Dean a bitchface behind the man’s back and Angela rolled her eyes. Dean shrugged.

“Well, I’m sure we can arrange something. The man you wanna be speaking to is right this…”

Angela swiped at a fly that had flown into her hair.

“I know, sorry.” The man said. “We’ve got something of a hygiene issue down here if you ask me.” He added. He entered the basement office. “Stewie? What did I tell you about keeping this place clean?”

Stewie sat at a large console with multiple screens and keyboards. Various packets of junk food were strewn about. Stewie jumped at their entrance and desperately tried to close down the multiple screens in front of him showing advertisements for porn sites.

Stewie was clicking quickly. “Spam mail… spam mail…”

“Stewie Myers.” The man said. “Mr. Campbell. Mr. Raimi. Ms. Marshall.”

Stewie was still clicking “I don’t know how all this got here…”

The man reached out and flicked the back of Stewie’s head, making him jump again and grunt.

“From headquarters?” the man added.

Stewie spun around in his chair, then quickly crossed his legs and placed his hands together on his lap/

“Give these three whatever they need.” The man instructed.

“Yeah.” Stewie nodded.

“Thank you,” Dean said.

“Thanks.” Sam and Angela said.

The man left.

“So… can I help you?” Stewie asked.

Dean checked to make sure the man was gone, then gestured toward the screen. He smirked. “Is that, ah, BustyAsianBeauties.com?” he asked.

Angela smacked Dean’s arm, giving him a glare.

“No,” Stewie said quickly.

 _“Oh, me so horny.”_ The woman on the computer moaned.

The screen showed it was BustyAsianBeauties.com.

Stewie was quickly clicking again. “Maybe.” He muttered.

“A word to the wise? Platinum membership?” Dean replied. “Worth every penny. Ha?” Dean nodded knowingly.

Angela rolled her eyes. “Dean.” She warned.

“Right, anyway,” Sam said. “We’re here to trace a number?” he asked. Sam handed Stewie a piece of paper.

“Where did you get this?”

“Off caller I.D.” Angela said.

“Oh no, that’s impossible.”

“It hasn’t been used in a few years, we know,” Dean said.

“A few years?” Stewie asked. “It’s prehistoric. Trust me, nobody is using this number anymore.”

“Sure,” Sam said. “Could you run it anyway?”

“Sure,” Stewie replied snarkily. “Why don’t I just rearrange my whole life first.”

Dean and Sam looked at each other. Angela smiled.

She leaned closer. “Listen, uh, Stewie.” She said. “You got like six kinds of employee code violations down here, not to mention the sickening porn that is clogging up your hard drive.” She added. “Now, when my partner says run the number,” she said calmly. “I suggest you run the number!” she yelled.

Sam, Dean, and Angela gave Stewie a hard look. He looked between them then turned back to his console. Angela grinned. Dean grinned at her and Sam shrugged and smiled.

“Okay, whatever, jeez!” Stewie replied. Stewie clicked a few more buttons. One of his screens filled with a long list of numbers. “Holy crap.”

“What?” Sam asked.

“I can’t tell you where the number comes from, but I can tell you where it’s been going.”

“What do you mean?” Sam asked.

Stewie pushed print, went to the printer, and handed some paper to Sam. “Ten different numbers in the past few weeks, all got calls from the same number.”

He looked between Sam, Dean, and Angela as they stared at each other, then sighed and walked between them back to his console. He sat and stared at for a moment, then looked back.

“So, are we done here?” he asked. “Cause I was… sort of… busy?”

Dean smirked. “Right.”

~/~\~

Sam and Angela got out of a rental car. They made their way up a footpath, Sam knocking on the door. It was opened by a middle-aged man. His son came up to stand beside him, around 6-7 years old.

“Yeah?” the man asked.

“Hello sir, we’re with the phone company,” Angela said.

“We didn’t call the phone company.”

“Oh no sir, we’re calling you,” Sam said. “We’ve had a lot of complaints from the neighborhood lately.”

“Complaints?”

“Yes sir.” Angela nodded. “Dropped calls, static, maybe even strange voices on the other end of the line?”

A teenage girl stepped into the hallway while Angela was speaking, looking startled.

“No, we haven’t had any of that here.” The man said.

“Nothing?” Sam asked.

“No.”

“Okay. Great, just thought we’d check. Thanks.” Angela replied.

“No problem.” The man said. “Come on, Simon.” He said to his son.

As they turned to close the door Angela saw the girl staring at her, looking at scared. She tapped Sam’s arm. The girl turned away as the door closed. Sam and Angela stared after her.

Sam and Angela returned to their car. As they opened their doors the girl appeared.

“No way you work for the phone company.” The girl said.

“Sure we do,” Sam said.

“Since when do people from the phone company drive a rental or wear cheap suits?” she asked.

Sam huffed a laugh. “Yeah, well. Maybe we’re both keeping secrets.”

“Why did you ask my Dad if he’s hearing strange voices on the phone?”

“Why, did you hear something?” Angela asked.

“No.”

“Our mistake, I thought maybe you did,” Angela said.

“Well I didn’t, okay?”

Sam smiled. “Okay. Sorry to bother you.”

The girl looked uncomfortable but didn’t move. Sam looked down at his keys.

“Because you know… if you did… then I would have told you that we’ve been right where you’re standing right now.” He said. “Hearing things, even seeing things that can’t be explained. Maybe we would have been able to help out a little bit. Anyway…”

“Hey wait.” The girl said. “Maybe… maybe I’ve been talking on the phone… with my Mom.”

“Well, that’s not so strange,” Angela replied.

“She’s dead. Like three years now.”

“How often does she call you?” Angela asked.

“A few times. It started a week ago. I thought I was like, crazy or something.”

“Well we can tell you one thing for sure, and you’re going to have to go with us on this, okay?” Sam replied. “You’re not crazy.”

~/~\~

Sam answered the phone and put it on the speaker. “Yeah.”

Dean was walking down a busy street. _“Guys, stiffs have been calling people all over town.”_

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Angela replied.

 _“I just talked to an 84-year-old grandmother who’s having phone sex with her husband, who died in Korea!”_ Dean exclaimed.

“Eww,” Sam said.

“Gross.” Angela cringed.

 _“It redefined my understanding of the word ‘Necrophilia’,”_ Dean said.

“So what the hell’s going on here, Dean?” Angela asked.

_“Beats me, but we’d better find out soon. This place is turning into spook central.”_

“Yeah. All right, we’ll call you later.” Sam said.

_“Yeah.”_

~/~\~

After he hung up, Dean’s phone immediately rang again.

“Yeah, what?” Dean asked.

There was nothing but static.

“Sam? Angie?”

 _“Dean?”_ John asked.

Dean froze, looking shocked.

 _“Dean, is that you?”_ John asked.

“Dad?”

~/~\~

Sam and Angela sat at the table, Dean paced.

“Dad? You really think it was Dad?” Sam asked.

“I don’t know, maybe,” Dean replied.

“Well, what did he sound like?” Sam asked.

“Like Oprah! Like Dad, he sounded like Dad, what do you think?”

“What did he say?” Angela asked.

“My name.”

“That’s it?” Sam asked.

“Call dropped out.”

“Why would he even call in the first place, Dean?” Sam asked.

“I don’t know, man,” Dean replied. “Why are ghosts calling anybody in this town? But I mean, other people are hearing from their loved ones, why can’t we? It’s at least a possibility, right?”

“Yeah, I guess?” Sam replied.

“Okay, so what if… what if it really is Dad? What happens if he calls back?” Dean asked.

“What do you mean?” Angela asked.

“What do I say?” Dean asked.

“Hello,” Sam said.

“Hello?” Dean raised a brow.

Sam shrugged.

“That’s what you come back with,” Dean said. “Hello?”

“Uhh…” Sam started.

Dean grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. “Hello!”

Dean walked out. Sam and Angela looked after him, concerned. Sam shook his head.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were sitting on the couch. Sam had the laptop in front of him, and Angela was resting her head on his shoulder, looking at the laptop. Dean returned.

“Find anything?” Dean asked.

“After three hours we have found no reason why anything supernatural would be going on here,” Sam said.

“Well, you know, you think a Stanford education and a high school hook up rate of zero point zero would produce better results than that,” Dean replied.

“Hilarious.” Sam rolled his eyes.

“Sammy, Angie, you’re just looking in the wrong places, guys,” Dean said.

“And what are the right places, Dean?” Angela asked.

Dean reached into his jacket pocket. “Motel pamphlet rack.” He replied. He dropped some literature on the coffee table. “Milan, Ohio. Birthplace of Thomas Edison.”

Sam flicked through the papers. “Yeah, right. So what?”

“Keep reading,” Dean replied.

Sam scoffed slightly and kept looking. He sighed, but after a few moments his eyebrows went up and he looked at Dean.

“You’re kidding.” He said.

Dean raised his eyebrows back, smiling.

~/~\~

A young female guide shepherded a tour.

“And we’re walking.” She said. “And, here we have one of the museum’s most unique and treasured possessions. Thomas Edison’s ‘spirit phone’.” She added. “Did you know that Mr. Edison, as well as being one of America’s most beloved inventors, was also a devout ‘occultist’? Ooh!”

“What’s with the quote-y fingers?” Dean whispered.

“He spent years working on this, his final invention, which he was convinced could be used to ‘communicate’ with the ‘dead’. Pretty spooky, huh?”

The guide checked her watch, twirled her fingers in the air, and began leading the group into the next room.

“And we’re walking. We are walking. We’re walking.” The guide said. “And we’re not touching that. And we’re walking. And stop.”

Sam quickly got out his EMF and held it over the spirit phone.

“Anything?” Dean asked.

“Nothing,” Sam said.

“What do you think?” Angela asked.

“Honestly?” Sam replied. “It kinda looks like an old pile of junk to me.”

“It’s not even plugged in,” Dean said.

“Maybe it didn’t work like that,” Angela suggested.

“Okay. Maybe it’s like a radio tower, broadcasting the dead all over town.” Dean said.

“Could be,” Sam replied.

“You know, this caller I.D. is 100 years old, right?” Dean asked. “Right around the time this thing was built.”

“Yeah, but why would it all of a sudden start working now?” Angela asked.

“I don’t know.” Dean shrugged. “But as long as the moldy are calling the freshers around here it’s the best reason we’ve got.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Sam nodded.

“So maybe it really is Dad.”

~/~\~

Sam and Angela slept. Dean sat at the table, a large takeaway coffee cup in his hand, his phone beside him. He stared into space. The phone rang, the display showing ‘SHA33’. Dean grabbed it quickly and headed into the bathroom.

“Dad?” Dean whispered.

_“Dean.”_

“Is it really you?”

_“It’s me.”_

“How can I be sure?”

 _“You can’t,”_ John replied. _“Dean, how could you do it?”_

“What?”

_“Sell your soul.”_

“I was looking after Sam, like you told me to,” Dean replied, concerned.

 _“I never wanted this,”_ John replied. _“Never. You’re my boy, I love you. I can’t watch you go to hell, Dean.”_

“I’m sorry. I don’t know how to stop it.”

 _“’Cause if you break the deal Sam and his girlfriend die, right?”_ John replied.

“What?”

_“Well, I know a way out. For the three of you.”_

“How?”

_“The demon who holds your contract. He’s here. Now.”_

~/~\~

Dean was typing furiously on the laptop. Sam and Angela entered.

“What’s up?” Dean asked.

“That girl, Lanie, her Mom’s ghost spooked her out pretty bad last night,” Sam said.

“That sucks.

“Yeah, it does,” Angela replied. “What are you doing?”

“I think my Dad’s right. I think the demon is here. Check it out.” Dean replied.

Dean handed Sam and Angela some papers and went to his bag.

“What is this, weather reports?” Sam asked.

“Omens,” Dean replied. “Demonic omens. Electrical storms everywhere we’ve been for the past two weeks.”

“Ahh… I don’t remember any lighting storms.” Sam said.

“Well, I don’t remember you studying meteorology as a kid either,” Dean replied. “But I’m telling you two, that bastard’s been tailing me… wearing some poor dude’s meat.”

“And it’s following you because…” Angela said.

“I guess I’m big game, you know. My ass is too sweet to let outta sight.”

“Okay. Sure.” Sam nodded.

Dean snatched the papers back. “Don’t get too excited, guys. Might pull something.”

“Dean, look, I wanna believe this man, I really do…” Sam said.

“Then believe it!” Dean replied. “If we get this sucker, it’s Miller Time.”

“Yeah, that’s another thing,” Sam said. “Dad rattles off an exorcism that can kill a demon? I mean not just send it back to hell, but kill it?”

“I’ve checked it out. This is heavy-duty Dark Ages. Fifteenth-century.”

“Yeah, we’ve checked on it, too, Dean. And so did Bobby.” Angela said quietly.

“Okay, and?” Dean asked.

“Look. It definitely is an exorcism, okay, there’s just no evidence it can kill a demon.” She answered.

“No evidence it can’t.”

“Come on man…” Sam said.

“Hey, as far as I’m aware the only one of us who has actually been to hell is Dad,” Dean replied. “And maybe he picked up on a couple of tricks down there, like which exorcisms work.”

“Maybe it does. I hope it does too, but we gotta be sure.” Sam said.

“Why aren’t we sure?” Dean asked.

“’Cause we don’t know what’s going on around here Dean!” Angela replied. “I mean, some guy blows his brains out, a little girl is scared out of her wits.”

“Wow, a couple of civvies are freaked out by some ghosts.” Dean retorted. “News flash Angie, people are supposed to be freaked out by ghosts!”

Angela and Dean stared at each other for a moment. Sam sighed and Dean dropped his head in frustration.

“Dad tell you where to find the demon?” Sam asked.

“I’m waiting on the call!” Dean shouted.

Sam sighed again. “I told Lanie I’d stop by.”

“Oh, good yeah,” Dean replied sarcastically. “No, you go hang out with jail bait. I’m sure your girlfriend will love that. Just, uh, watch out for Chris Hansen.” He said. “Meanwhile I’ll be here getting ready to, you know, save my life.”

“I’m going with Sam,” Angela said.

She and Sam kept moving toward the door.

“You’re unbelievable, you know that?” Dean shouted. “I mean for months we’ve been trying to break this demon deal. Now, Dad’s about to give us the freaking address and you can’t accept it? The man is dead and you’re still butting heads with the guy!”

“That is not what this is about,” Sam replied.

“So what is it!” Dean yelled.

“The fact is we’ve got no hard proof here, Dean,” Sam shouted back. “After everything, you’re still just going on blind faith!”

“Yeah, well maybe! You know, maybe that’s all I got, okay?”

The stared at each other. Dean looked down.

“Please,” Angela whispered. “Just please don’t go anywhere until we get back. Okay, Dean? Please.”

Dean remained silent. Sam shook his head and Angela sighed as they turned for the door. Dean watched them go and continued staring at the door for a long moment. He shook his head and moved to sit heavily at the table.

~/~\~

“Have you told your father about any of this?” Angela asked.

“And bother him at work?” Lanie asked. “No. He wouldn’t believe me anyway, he’d just chuck me into therapy.”

“So what did your mother say?” Sam asked.

“She wanted to see me. So at first, I thought I was supposed to go to the cemetery.”

“Did you?” Angel asked.

Lanie nodded. “Nothing happened. But then she started asking me to do other things.”

“What sort of things?” Sam asked.

“Bad things.”

~/~\~

Dean sat at the table staring at nothing. His phone rang and he snatched it up.

“Dad?”

_“Yeah.”_

“Where’s the demon?”

~/~\~

“Lanie, please. Tell us what happened, it’s very important.” Angela said.

“Mom told me to go to Dad’s medicine cabinet.”

“And?” Sam asked.

“She wanted me to take his sleeping pills, take all of his sleeping pills.”

“She wanted you to kill yourself?” Angela asked.

Lanie nodded, crying. “Why would my mom want me to do that?”

“I don’t know.” Sam murmured.

“I mean, just so I could come to her?”

“What’d you say?” Angela frowned.

“She wanted me to come to her.”

“No, how’d she say it?” Sam asked.

“’Come to me’. Like a million times.”

“Lanie,” Angela said. “That’s not your mother.”


	28. Long Distance Call Part 2

Dean pulled up and got out. He grabbed his weapon’s bag from the trunk, looked around, and moved toward a house.

~/~\~

“Listen to us.” Sam said. “Don’t answer the phone. Don’t use the computer. Don’t do anything unless we say so, all right?”

Sam and Angela started down the stairs and realized Lanie wasn’t following.

“Lanie,” Angela said.

She stood in the doorway. “Where’s Simon?”

~/~\~

Dean entered quietly and moved down the hallway, listening. A floorboard creaked on the second floor.

“Hello?” Dean asked.

~/~\~

Dean dropped a rosary into a large bottle of water. He was shaking a paint can and sprayed a devil’s trap on the floor.

~/~\~

Simon kept walking across the next road. A large truck barreled toward him. In the cab, the driver glanced away from the road to check the delivery list. He looked back to see Simon in front of him. The truck horn blared and tried to squeal. Simon seemed to be awakened and threw his hands up to protect himself. Sam rushed to the road, grabbed Simon, and dived for the verge. They lied panting as the truck roared past. Angela was holing Lanie back.

~/~\~

Sam was on the phone, which was on the speaker. “Dean, it’s not Dad.”

_“Then what is it?”_

“A crocotta,” Angela replied.

 _“Is that a sandwich?”_ Dean asked.

“Some kind of scavenger.” She replied. “Mimics loved ones, whispers ‘Come to me’, then lures you into the dark and swallows your soul.”

 _“A crocotta, right, damn that makes sense,”_ Dean said.

“Dean, look, I’m sorry man, I know…” Sam started.

 _“Hey, don’t these things live in filth?”_ Dean asked.

“Yeah,” Angela said.

 _“Guys, the flies at the phone company,”_ Dean said.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela crept along an alley and peaked in a window at Stewie, sitting at his console. They were distracted by a banging noise. When they looked back Stewie was leaving the room. Sam and Angela ran back up the alley.

Stewie was leaving the building. Sam and Angela hid behind a van, Sam holding his phone to his ear.

 _“This is Herman Munster. Leave a message.”_ Dean’s voicemail said.

“Dean, we’re in the parking lot. He’s here. Hurry.” Sam said.

Stewie unlocked his car. Sam and Angela rushed him, pushing him into the car and Angela held a metal spike to the back of his neck.

Stewie grunted. “What the hell!”

“We know what you are,” Sam said.

“Wait, mister,” Stewie said.

“And we know how to kill you,” Angela whispered.

“Please. Okay, wait, wait.” Stewie replied. “If we’re overcharging you for the call waiting or something I… I can fix that. I am your friend!”

Sam and Angela looked confused.

“Please. Please just don’t kill me!”

The manager from earlier snuck up behind Sam and Angela.

“Don’t kill me, please!” Stewie cried.

The manager hit Sam over the head with a bat, doing the same to Angela. They slumped to the ground.

Stewie turned around, saw the manager, grinned, and started bouncing up and down. “Yeah! That’s what happens when you mess with the phone company, dillweed!” he exclaimed. “Thank you, Clark!” he said to his manager.

Clark lifted the bat again. “Forget about it.”

“Clark?”

Clark smashed Stewie with the bat.

~/~\~

Stewie, Sam, and Angela were tied to chairs.

Stewie was sniveling. “I’m sorry, Clark. I’m sorry for whatever I did to you. I’m sorry…please…”

Sam was coming to. “Wait! Don’t do it.”

“You’re awake,” Clark said to Sam.

Clark leaned over Stewie and placed the tip of the knife against his thigh.

“You’re not a killer Clark, no!” Stewie exclaimed. “There’s a good man inside of you, I know it.”

“What do you think, Sammy, Angie, am I a good man?” Clark asked.

“Just let him go,” Angela said.

“I would. I really would. If only I’d had more than a salad for lunch. You see, I’m starving.”

He lifted the knife high above his head and plunged it into Stewie’s chest.

“No!” Sam and Angela yelled.

Clark moved in front of Stewie’s body. His mouth opened, revealing a blood-red interior and razor-sharp spikes. He crouched slightly, held Stewie by both shoulders, and unhinged his jaw, his mouth becoming impossibly wide. He placed his mouth close to Stewie’s face and sucked in his energy. Sam and Angela shuddered and looked away.

Clark stood, wiping his mouth.

“Our last call with Dean,” Sam said. “That was you. You led us here.”

“Some calls I make, some calls I take, but you have to admit, I had you fooled for a while. All that Edison phone crap.”

Clark laughed and moved over to the telephone exchange cabinet. He placed his hands against the glass and leaned back in ecstasy.

“What are you doing?” Angela asked.

“I’m killing Dean. Or maybe I’m killing another guy.” Clark replied. “We’ll just have to see how it goes.”

~/~\~

Clark pulled the knife out of Stewie’s chest.

“You know, mimicking Dean’s one thing,” Sam said. “But my Dad. That’s a hell of a trick.”

“Well once I made you three as hunters, it was easy,” Clark replied. “I found Angie’s number, Dean’s number, then your number, then your father’s numbers. Then emails, voicemails, everything. You see, people think that stuff just gets erased, but it doesn’t. You’d be surprised how much of yourself is just floating out there, waiting to be plucked.”

“Dean’s not going to fall for this,” Angela replied. “He’s not going to kill that guy.”

“Then the guy kills him,” Clark replied.

~/~\~

Car headlights shone across the window into the room where Dean waited. He silently moved toward the hallway. A car door slammed. Dean removed the lid from the bottle of holy water. He heard a noise toward the back of the house and frowned, moving down the hallway toward the back door. He paused, then looked from the back to the front door.

The back door slammed open and the man appeared, raising a rifle and fired. Dean leaped out of the way, dropping the bottle of holy water. The man began reloading. Dean glanced at the holy water as it drained away. He waited to hear the bullet shell being removed and ran for the man, using forward movement to slam him back into the wall. He hit him a few times, then kneed him viciously. Letting him drop, Dean moved toward the rifle but the man followed, grabbing Dean and slamming him backward onto a table. He got in a few hits before Dean head-butted him. As the man fell backward to the ground Dean kicked him in the stomach. He kicked him four times, paused, then kicked him once more, even more viciously, grunting as he did so.

~/~\~

Clark was standing over Sam and Angela. “Technology. Makes life so much easier.” He said. “Used to be I’d hide in the woods for days, weeks, whispering to people, trying to draw them out into the night. But they had community, they all looked out for each other, I’d be lucky to eat one or two souls a year. Now when I’m hungry, I simply make a phone call.” He added. “You’re all so connected.” He sneered. “But you’ve never been so alone.”

Clark opened his mouth and began to unhinge his jaw while raising the knife. While he had been speaking Sam had managed to escape his ties, his wrists bloody. He erupted out of the chair and they fell to the ground, Clark losing the knife. They struggled for it, Sam rising first. Clark grabbed Sam’s jacket and swung him around into a metal grate. Clark picked up the knife, running at Sam.

~/~\~

Dean and the man slammed through a glass door. The man was groggy. Dean quickly reached for the man’s belt. He pulled out a handgun, flicking the cartridge out, and tossed it aside. As the man struggled to get to his feet, covered in glass, Dean pulled back the rug, showing the devil’s trap sprayed onto the floor. He turned away, pulling the exorcism out of his pocket. The man, confused, stared at the markings on the floor.

“What is this?”

“Your funeral,” Dean replied.

Dean began the exorcism in Latin. The man glared at him and slowly moved forward out of the circle.

“You do this to my daughter too?”

Dean stared at the devil’s trap. “How the hell did you get out?”

“Did you do this to my daughter too?” the man shouted.

“Wait, this is a mistake.”

“You killed her!!”

“No, wait.”

The man leaped at Dean.

~/~\~

Sam and Clark struggled for the knife, exchanging blows as they moved about the room. Sam finally managed to pull the knife away and hit Clark, forcing him back into the wall. A spike, one of many on the corkboard, jammed into the back of Clark’s neck, killing him.

Sam went and untied Angela. She stood up and brushed herself off.

“Thanks.” She smiled.

“No problem.” He returned the smile, kissing the top of her head.

~/~\~

The man fell on Dean as he lied on the ground, laying into him.

“She was 9 years old!!”

“Stop!” Dean replied. “I didn’t! You gotta believe me!”

The man kept hitting him.

Dean managed to twist and grab the rifle, smacking the man in the forehead with the butt. He fell backward. Dean rose, standing over him.

The man was crying. “Why did you kill her?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t kill your daughter.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

“I don’t know,” Dean replied, anguished.

~/~\~

Dean held a facecloth to his cut eye, groaning. Sam and Angela entered the room and came to the door of the bathroom.

“I see they improved your face,” Dean told Sam.

Sam sniggered. “Right back at ya.”

Dean moved past Sam and Angela into the main room. Dean sat on his bed, and Sam and Angela sat on theirs.

“So, crocotta, huh?” Dean asked.

“Yep.” Angela nodded.

“That would explain the flies.”

“Yeah, it would,” Sam replied. “Hey, um… look I’m sorry it wasn’t Dad.”

Dean huffed. “Nah, I gave you a hell of a time on this one.”

“Ahh,” Sam said.

“You were right.”

“Forget about it.” Sam waved it off.

“I can’t,” Dean replied. “I wanted to believe so badly that there was a way outta this. I mean I’m staring down the barrel at this thing. You know, Hell. For real, forever, and I just…”

“Yeah,” Sam whispered.

Dean was tearing up. “I’m scared, guys. I’m really scared.”

Sam was also tearing up and Angela had an arm around him. “We know.” Sam nodded.

“I guess I was willing to believe anything. You know, the last act of a desperate man.”

“There’s nothing wrong with having hope, Dean.” Angela murmured.

“Hope doesn’t get you jack squat,” Dean replied. “I can’t expect Dad to show up with some miracle last minute. I can’t expect anybody to, you know. I mean the only person that can get me out of this thing is me.”

“And us,” Sam replied earnestly.

“And us?” Dean asked.

“What?” Sam asked.

“Deep revelation, having a real moment here, that’s what you come back with? And us?” Dean asked.

Sam raised his eyebrows. “Uh… do you want a poem?”

“The moment’s gone.”

Sam smiled slightly and Angela giggled. Dean flicked the TV on, reached between the beds, grabbed three bottles of beer, and held two out to Sam and Angela. Sam and Angela took them, they cracked them open and drank in unison, while staring at the TV.


	29. Time is on My Side Part 1

A demon was strapped to a chair having holy water thrown on him. The demon screamed and thrashed from side to side.

“You ready to talk?” Dean asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t know anything!” the demon cried.

“Oh, you hear that, guys?” Dean asked. “He doesn’t know anything.”

Sam smirked. “Yeah, we heard.”

“I’m telling you the truth.” The demon said.

“Oh, you are?” Dean asked. “My God, then I owe you an apology. Allow me to make it up to you.” He said. He forced holy water into the demon’s mouth. “I’m gonna ask you one last time… Who holds my contract?”

The demon went quiet, head hanging. When he looked up his eyes were black and he was smiling.

“Your mother.” The demon replied. “Yeah, she, uh, showed it to me right before I bent her over.”

Dean leaned in close. “I want a name. Or else…”

“Or what?” the demon asked. “You’re gonna squirt your holy water in both ends? Please. Brother, that’s like a fleabite compared to what’s coming to me if I tell you jack. Do what you want. The only thing I’m scared of is the demon holding your ticket.”

Dean stared at the demon then looked at Angela, who nodded and began reciting an exorcism.

“How does that feel? Does that feel good?” Dean asked.

“Go ahead.” The demon replied. “Send me back to hell… ‘cause when you get there, I’ll be waiting for you… with a few of my pals who are dying for a nice little meet and greet with Dean Winchester.”

“Should I?” Angela asked.

“Send him someplace he can’t hurt anyone else,” Dean said.

Angela continued the exorcism. The demon began screaming.

~/~\~

“You ran the prints twice? Are you sure?” Sam asked. “Okay. Yeah, just chalk it up to lab error. Don’t I know it. Okay. Thanks. Yeah, I’ll tell the lieutenant.”

Dean and Angela entered.

“Bury the body?” Sam asked.

“Yeah. Looks like these demons ride ‘em hard just for kicks.” Dean replied. He opened and chugged on a beer then crashed tiredly onto a couch. “What was the phone call about?”

“Remember that thing in the paper yesterday?” Sam asked.

“’Stripper suffocates dude with thighs’?” Dean asked.

“The other thing,” Sam said.

“Right, the guy that walks into the E.R. and keels over dead.” Angela nodded. “His stomach’s ripped out?”

“His liver, actually,” Sam replied. “Anyway, I just found out something pretty damn interesting.”

“What?” Dean asked.

“The dead body covered in bloody fingerprints, not the victim’s,” Sam said.

“Okay, great,” Dean said. “My man Dave Caruso will be stoked to hear it.”

“Those fingerprints match a guy who died in 1881.” Sam continued.

“Really,” Dean replied. “So, what are we walking? Uh, walking dead? Walking, killing dead?”

“Maybe.” Sam shrugged.

“Zombies do like the other, other white meat,” Dean said. “Huh. Speaking of, what do you care about zombies?”

“Yeah,” Angela said. “Doesn’t seem like your thing at the moment, Sammy.” She shrugged.

“What do you mean?” Sam asked, his brows furrowing.

“Well, you’ve been on soul-saving detail for months now,” Dean replied. “And we’re three weeks out, and all of a sudden, you’re interested in some hot zombie action?”

“Hey, man, you’re the one who’s been all gung ho to hunt,” Sam said. “I just thought I’d be doing you a favor.”

“Hey, no, no, no, no, no,” Dean replied. “I didn’t say I didn’t want to do it, okay. I mean obviously I want to hunt some zombies.”

“Okay, fine, whatever,” Sam said.

~/~\~

Dean, Sam, and Angela stood listening.

“Yeah, the rest of the body was intact.” The coroner said. “The liver was the only organ missing.”

“Now, when the liver was ripped out, did you happen to notice any… ah… teeth marks?” Angela asked.

The coroner gave them an ‘are you insane’ look. “Can I see your badges?”

“Of course, sure.” Sam nodded.

“Fine. So you’re cops and morons.” The coroner said.

“Excuse me?” Dean asked. “No, no. We’re very smart.”

“The liver was not ripped out.” The coroner continued. “It was removed. Surgically.” He said. “By someone who knew their way around a scalpel. Didn’t you read my report?”

“Of course we did.” Dean nodded. “Oh, it was riveting. It was a real page-turner, just delightful.”

“You done?” the coroner asked.

“I think so.” Dean nodded.

“Please go away.”

“Okay,” Dean replied.

“Of course.” Angela nodded.

“Sure,” Sam said.

~/~\~

Sam was smiling.

“What?” Dean asked.

“Nothing.” Sam shrugged. “So, that kind of punches a hole in our zombie theory, huh, that scalpel thing?”

“Yeah, zombie with skills, ‘Dr. Quinn, medicine zombie’.” Dean replied.

“Maybe we’re on the wrong track, Dean, looking for hacked up corpses,” Angela said.

“What should we be looking for?” Dean asked.

“Survivors,” Sam replied. “This isn’t zombie lunch. This is organ theft.”

~/~\~

“I told the cops all of this yesterday.” The patient said. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

“It’s just a couple of questions, sir,” Angela replied.

“Hey, lady. I just got my kidney stolen.” He replied. “I’m tired.”

“We’ll be out of here quick,” Dean assured him. “Don’t you want to get the guy?”

“Will it get me back my kidney?” he asked.

“So what’s the last thing you remember?” Sam asked.

“Feeding my meter.” The patient replied. “I got jumped from behind… and then I wake up strapped to a table. And then the worst pain you could possibly imagine, only worse. He said. “And then I black out again. Thank God. And then I wake up screaming in some no-tell motel in a bathtub full of ice.”

“Do you remember anything about the surgery, you know, what the guy looked like, any details about the room?” Angela asked.

“Let me think about that.” He replied. “Yeah… one thing is coming back to me.” He murmured. “You know what I remember? Getting my kidney cut out of my body!”

~/~\~

Sam, Angela, and Dean sat at the table. Sam and Angela were using the laptop and Dean was happily eating a burger.

“So, we got a theory,” Sam said.

“Yeah?” Dean asked.

“Yeah, we talked to Mr. Giggle’s doctor,” Angela replied. “Turns out his incisions were sewn up with silk.”

“That’s weird,” Dean said.

“Yeah, nowadays it is, but silk used to be the suture of choice back in the early 19th century,” Sam said. “It was really problematic. Patients would get massive infections. The death rate was insane.”

“Good times,” Dean replied.

“Right, so Doctors, they had to do whatever they could to keep infections from spreading,” Angela added. “One way was maggots.”

“Angie, I’m eating,” Dean said.

“It actually kind of worked because of maggots, they eat bad tissue, and they leave good tissue.” Sam continued. “And get this. When they found our guy, his body cavity was stuffed full of maggots.”

“Dude, I’m eating!” Dean exclaimed. “Alright, let me get this straight. So, people are getting ganked, right?”

“Yeah.” Sam nodded.

“A little ‘antiques roadshow’ surgery, some organ theft,” Dean replied. “But why is this all sounding familiar?”

“Because you heard it before,” Sam said. “When you were a kid… from Dad. Doc Benton… real-life Doctor, lived in New Hampshire, brilliant and obsessed with alchemy, especially how to live forever. So in 1816, Doc abandons his practice and…”

“Right, yeah, nobody hears from him for like 20 years, and all of a sudden, people start showing up dead,” Dean said.

“Dead or, or missing an organ or the hand or some other kind of part,” Sam added.

“Cause whatever he was doing was actually working,” Dean said. “He just kept on ticking. Parts would wear out, he’d replace them. But I thought Dad hunted him down and took his heart out.”

“Yeah, I guess the Doc must have plugged in a new one.” Sam shrugged.

“All right, where’s he doing the deed?” Dean asked.

“According to this, Benton’s picky about where he sets up his lab,” Angela said. “He likes dense forests with access to a river or some kind of freshwater.”

Dean took another huge bite of his burger. “Why?”

“Because that’s where he likes to dump bile and intestines and fecal matter,” Sam said.

Dean looked disgusted and lowered his burger, gagging slightly.

“Lost your appetite yet?” Angela asked.

Dean considered this, looking at the burger and then at Sam and Angela, then back at the burger. “Oh baby, I can’t stay mad at you.” He said to his burger. He took a huge bite, staring at Sam and Angela as he chewed.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela leaned over a map on the bed.

Sam pointed at the map where some areas were circled in red. “So these are all the cabins. Most of them have been abandoned for years.”

“So what the hell are we waiting for?” Dean asked. His phone rang and he answered. “Bobby.”

 _“Hey,”_ Bobby replied. _“Think I finally got a bead on Bela.”_

“I’m listening,” Dean said.

_“Rufus Turner.”_

“Who’s that? Like a Cleveland steamer?” Dean asked.

_“He’s a hunter, or he used to be.”_

“And now?”

 _“Hermit mostly,”_ Bobby said. _“Does a little selling on the side. Anyway. I put the word out on Bela months ago. He just called. Said a woman got in touch, wanted to buy some things.”_

“And he thinks it’s Bela?” Dean asked.

_“British accent, went by the name Mina Chandler.”_

“She’s used that name before,” Dean said. “Well, it’s kinda a sloppy move, isn’t it? Getting in contact with one of your old friends.”

_“Friend? Haven’t laid eyes on him in fifteen years. He’s not the Christmas card type. I doubt she knows I know him. Canaan, Vermont.”_

“Thanks, Bobby. We’re on our way.”

_“One other thing. Take a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue.”_

“Okay.” He said to Bobby. “Come on. We’re going after Bela.” He said to Sam and Angela.

“Really?” she asked.

“What?” Sam frowned. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on a second.”

“Come on. Get your stuff guys. The clock’s ticking.” Dean said.

“Look, I think we should stay here and finish the case,” Sam replied.

“You insane?” Dean asked. “Angie, your boyfriend’s insane.”

She looked up at Sam. “Sammy… it’s Bela… she could still have the Colt…”

“There’s no way she still has the Colt!” Sam exclaimed. “That was months ago! She probably sold it the second she got it.”

“Well, then I’ll kill her,” Dean replied. “Win-win.”

“Dean…” Sam said.

“Sam. We’re going!” Dean replied.

“No!” Sam exclaimed.

“Why the hell not?”

“Dean, this, this here. Now. This is what’s gonna save you.” Sam said.

“What? Chasing some Frankenstein?” Dean asked.

“Chasing immortality,” Sam replied. Dean and Angela looked at him, a bit startled. “Look, Benton can’t die. We find out how he did it, we can do it to you.”

“What are you talking about?” Dean asked.

“You have to die before you go to hell, right?” Sam asked. “So, if you can never die, then…”

“Wait, wait, wait. Wait a second.” Dean said. “Did you know that this was Doc Benton from the jump?”

“No,” Sam replied. Dean and Angela stared at him. Angela folded her arms across her chest and Dean tilted his head in a question. “Look, I was hoping,” Sam said.

“So the whole zombie thing, it was lying to Dean? It was lying to me?” Angela frowned.

“I didn’t wanna say anything until I was sure.” Sam shrugged. “All I’m trying to do is find an answer here.”

“No. What you’re trying to do is chase Slicy McHackey here.” Dean replied. “And to kill him? No. You wanna buy him a freaking beer. You wanna study him.”

“I was just trying to help.”

“You’re not helping!” Dean exclaimed. “You forget that if I welch on this deal, you and Angie die. Guess what, living forever is welching.”

“Fine! Then, whatever the magic pill is, Angie and I will take it too!”

Angela shook her head. “No!” she shouted, startling both Sam and Dean. “Sam, no, I don’t want to live forever!” she exclaimed. She sighed. “Just… don’t speak for me when it comes to things like this.” She muttered.

“Oh, what is this? Sid and Nancy?” Dean asked. “No. It’s just like Bobby’s been saying. We kill the demon who owns the contract and this whole damn thing wipes clean. That’s our best shot.”

“Even if you had the Colt, who are you gonna shoot? We have no idea who holds the ticket, guys.” Sam said.

“Well, I’ll shoot the hellhounds before they slash me up. Now, you coming or not?” Dean asked.

Angela glanced at Sam and then looked at Dean. “I’ll go.” She said.

Sam frowned at her. Then he looked at Dean. “I’m staying here.” He said quietly.

“No, you’re not,” Dean replied. “’Cause I’m not gonna let you wander out in the woods along to track some organ stealing freak.”

“You’re not gonna let me?” Sam asked.

“No, I’m not gonna let you,” Dean said.

“How are you gonna stop me?” Sam asked. Angela frowned and Dean again looked startled. “Look, guys, we’re trying to do the same thing here.”

“Sam… this… this isn’t the way though,” Angela replied softly.

Dean nodded. “I know.” He told Sam. “But I’m going. And so is Angie. So if you wanna stay… stay.”

Dean watched Sam but Sam continued to stare at the wall. Dean shrugged, put his bag on his shoulder, and headed over to open the door. Angela lingered for a moment before grabbing her bag and following. Sam didn’t move.

Dean hesitated, then turned back. “Sammy, be careful.”

Sam finally turned to face Dean and Angela.

“You too,” Sam said quietly. “Keep Angie safe.”

Angie smiled softly. “Love you, Sammy.” She murmured.

He looked at her. “Love you too, Angie.” He whispered.

They stared at each other for a long moment, then Angela reached out and closed the door behind her and Dean. Sam let out a huge sigh.

~/~\~

Dean and Angela were walking towards the porch. “So uh… back there you kinda snapped at Sam.” He commented. “I’ve never seen you do that.”

She shrugged. “It’s no big deal. He just… he speaks _for_ me sometimes. And I agree with him sometimes, but I wanna voice it out too.” She said.

He nodded, and they climbed the tall stairs onto the porch. A handwritten sign said ‘No solicitors, that means you! No asking for donations. No selling ANYTHING!’

Dean rang the buzzer, then banged on the security door. He heard a noise and looked up to see a security camera moving to train on them.

“What?” Rufus asked via intercom.

“Hi, uh, Rufus?” Dean asked.

“Yeah, even if I am, the question is still the same. What?”

“Uh, I’m Angela Morgan. This is Dean Winchester. We’re friends of Bobby Singer’s.”

“So?” Rufus asked.

“You called him this morning,” Dean said.

“So?” Rufus repeated

“Uh…” Dean tried to grin at the security camera. “…you told Bobby about a British chick who made contact with you.”

“And so?” Rufus asked.

“You know where she is?” Dean replied.

“Yeah.”

“Great,” Angela said. “Could you tell us where we could find her?”

“No.”

“Course not,” Dean muttered to himself. “Look, Rufus, man…” he said out loud.

Rufus opened the door. “Look, let me point something out to you.” He said. “You are knocking at my door, so don’t ‘Look, man’ me. I am not your man.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” Dean replied.

“All right, let me tell you a little story,” Rufus said. “See, once upon a time, Bobby called me, asked me to call him if I got a whiff of this Bela Talbot. I got a whiff. I called. The end.”

“Okay, yeah, if you could just tell us where she is, I mean, that would be great,” Dean replied.

“Dean Winchester and Angela Morgan, right?”

“Yeah.” Angela nodded.

“Do I look like I’m here to help you two?” Rufus asked.

“I’m gonna say no?” Dean replied.

“Then get the hell off my property.”

“All right, yeah. Fair enough.” Dean nodded. “We got one more question for you, though. See, I got this, uh, this bottle of scotch, and… uh, is this considered good?”

Rufus eyes the bottle, eyes Dean and Angela, and started smiling.

~/~\~

Dean, Angela, and Rufus sat at the table with glasses in front of them. The bottle was three-quarters empty.

“Bottoms up,” Dean said.

They clinked glasses and drank.

“You know, I don’t even bother drinking unless it’s this stuff,” Rufus commented. “Nectar of the Gods, I’m telling you.”

“Yeah, it’s a nice change, you know,” Dean replied. “Most of our whiskey comes from a plastic jug.” The three laughed. “So, Bela was here because…”

“She wanted to buy a couple of things, which is gonna take me some time to round up.”

“Where is she now?” Dean asked.

Rufus watched Dean closely. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“You got three weeks left. Why are you wasting your time chasing after that skinny, stuck-up English girl?”

Angela frowned. “How do you know about Dean’s deal?”

Rufus leaned forward. “Because I know things. I know a lot of things about a lot of people.

“Is that so?” Dean asked.

“I know ain’t no peashooter gonna save you.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Cause that’s the job, kid,” Rufus replied. “Even if you manage to scrape out of this one, there’s just gonna be something else down the road. Folks like us… there ain’t no happy ending. We all got it coming.”

“Well, ain’t you a bucket of sunshine?” Dean asked.

“I’m what you’ve got to look forward to if you survive,” Rufus smirked, raising his glass. “But you won’t.”

~/~\~

Sam pulled over in his rental car and turned off the engine. He checked his map again, got out of the car and started walking into the forest.

~/~\~

“So, Bela…” Angela said.

Rufus was now drunk. “Hotel Canaan. Room 39. But watch your backs.”

“I think we can handle Bela,” Dean replied.

“Oh, don’t be so sure about that. There are things you don’t know about her.”

“Oh, and you do? Right. Because you know things.” Dean said,

“Yep,” Rufus replied, feeling superior

“And let me guess… you lift her fingerprint?” Angela asked.

“Yep.”

“And that got you jack,” Dean said.

“Yep. She burnt them off. Probably years ago.”

“Yeah, so you’re right where we are,” Dean replied.

“Nope,” Rufus said. Dean and Angela looked at him funny. “You do her ear?”

“Sorry?” Dean asked.

Angela’s eyebrows raised, slightly confused.

“You do her ear?” he repeated.

“Hey, man, I’ll try anything once, but I don’t know,” Dean replied. “That sounds uncomfortable.”

“Ears are as unique to humans as fingerprints,” Rufus said.

“No kidding,” Dean replied.

“Of course, that don’t fly in the courts over here, but in England, they’re all over it. A friend of a friend… of a friend faxed me 10 pages of confidential files within a day. All I had to send him was one clean shot off the security camera.”

“Right.” Dean nodded. “One clean shot of her ear.”

He handed Dean a folder. “The so-called Bela Talbot.”

~/~\~

Sam entered with a torch in hand and looked around. He found a journal and pocketed it. He moved to the cellar. A man’s dead body was lying on the operating table. He kept looking around, heard a slight noise through ragged curtains, and saw another body. He moved closer. A woman was strapped down on another operating table, her arm stretched out beside her and covered in maggots. She was missing skin. Sam leaned in to place his fingers on the pulse point of her neck. The woman gasped and her eyes sprung open. Sam startled violently.

“Shh! Shh! Shh!” he hushed. “It’s okay. I’m here to help you. I’m here to help you. I’m gonna help you. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He said. He grabbed a cloth and wrapped it around her arm, shhing her the whole time. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

They heard a door open upstairs. The woman started crying, unable to help herself. Sam covered her mouth, but Doc Benton hears and started down the stairs with a lamp to investigate. The woman and Sam were gone. Doc Benton looked up to see a window open.


	30. Time is on My Side Part 2

Sam carried the victim to his rental car.

He placed her in the passenger seat. “Okay, watch your head, watch your head. Sorry.”

Sam ran around and got in the driver’s seat. Benton came out of nowhere, grabbed Sam’s head, and slammed it against the wheel. Sam reversed wildly, his passenger screaming. He changed gears and floored it, driving straight over Benton. As the car sped away Benton rose and looked after them, his head at a crazy angle.

~/~\~

Bela entered, turning to close the door behind her. Dean pushed her back against the door. He laid his arm across her throat and Angela pointed a gun at her face.

“Where’s the Colt?” Dean asked.

“Dean. Angela.” She replied calmly.

“No extra words.” Angela glared.

“It’s long gone, across the world by now,” Bela said.

“You’re lying,” Dean replied. He grabbed her bag from her to look in it.

“I’ll call the buyer. Speak Farsi?” she said.

Dean grabbed her around the waist, pulling her against him.

“What the hell are you…” she started.

Dean quickly frisked her, found her gun, and held it up to her. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

Angela used the point of her gun to snap on the room’s lights, then pointed it at her again. “Don’t move.” She warned.

Dean began searching the room, leaving Bela standing against the door.

“I told you I don’t have it.”

“Oh, yeah, we’re definitely gonna take your word for it,” Dean said sarcastically.

Dean turned his back and continued rifling through her drawers. Bela slid along the wall toward the door. A bullet went through the door, inches from her head. She froze.

“Don’t move.” Angela glared.

Dean continued searching.

“It’s gone.” Bela insisted. “Get on a plane if you must. Track down the buyer. You might catch up to him eventually.”

Dean finished searching and returned to Bela, taking a stance, and pulling out his gun to point it at her head.

“Are you going to kill me?” she asked.

“Oh, yeah,” Dean muttered.

“You two aren’t the cold-blooded type.”

“You mean like you?” Angela asked. “That’s true. See, I couldn’t imagine killing my parents.”

She was shocked but regrouped. “I don’t know what you’re talking…”

“Yes, you do,” Dean replied. “You were, what, 14? Folks died in some shady car accident. Police suspected a slashed brake line, but it was all too crispy to tell. Cut to little Bela… Oh, I’m sorry, Abby… inheriting millions.”

“How did you even…”

“Doesn’t matter,” Angela said.

“They were lovely people.” Bela lied. “And I killed them. And I got rich. I can’t be bothered to give a damn. Just like I don’t care what happens to you.”

Dean pushed her roughly against the door with his arm over her throat again. A strand of woven herbs was dislodged from the ledge above the door but no one noticed.

“You make me sick,” Dean growled, staring for a long tense moment.

“Likewise,” Bela replied.

Dean took a step back and again pointed his gun at her head, smirking. She stared back, then closed her eyes. Dean was distracted and looked up, spying the herbs hanging over the ledge. He looked at Angela and gestured to the herbs with his head. She frowned and looked at Bela, thinking. Bela opened her eyes and both Dean and Angela dropped the guns.

“You’re not worth it,” Dean said.

Dean dragged her aside and left, Angela following. Bela lifted her hand which now had a scrap of paper in it. She looked at it, a motel receipt, ‘The Erie’. She grabbed her phone.

“It worked. They found me. No, Sam wasn’t with them. But I know where they are.

~/~\~

Sam’s phone rang, he picked it up.

“Dean.”

 _“Yeah,”_ Dean replied, in the Impala.

“Is Angie with you?” Sam asked. “Did you get the Colt?”

 _“Yeah, she’s here,”_ Dean replied. _“And what do you think?”_

“So, does that mean Bela is, uh…”

 _“No, no, she deserves to die a dozen times over, but we couldn’t do it,”_ Dean replied.

“Dean…”

_“I’m really screwed, Sammy.”_

“No, you’re just…”

_“But you were right. Bela was a goose chase. The Colt’s gone, and this time I’m really screwed, Sam.”_

“Maybe not. Look, Dean, I found Benton’s cabin.” Sam said.

_“You okay? Was he there?”_

“Yeah.”

 _“Did you kill him?”_ Angela asked once Dean put the phone on speaker.

“No,” Sam replied.

 _“What do you mean, ‘no’?”_ Dean asked.

“Guys, please just listen for a second. I found his lab book, and it has the formula.”

 _“What, the live-forever formula?”_ Dean asked.

“Yeah.”

_“Great, let me guess. I got to drink blood out of a baby’s skull?”_

“No, that’s the thing,” Sam replied. “It’s not black magic. There’s no blood sacrifice or anything. It’s just science, guys. Very, very extremely weird science, but…”

 _“Wait, wait, wait,”_ Dean said. _“What are… what are you saying? You think…”_

“Guys, I think it might be doable. I mean, I know we’ve hit a lot of walls, but I… I think this formula, I think it might be it. This could save you, Dean.”

 _“Okay, so this formula…”_ Dean started.

“Well, I mean, look, look, we’re not in the clear yet. There are still things that I don’t get...”

An arm came from behind Sam and covered his mouth with a rag. Sam dropped the phone. It was Doc Benton.

 _“Sam? Sammy!”_ Dean yelled.

 _“Sam!”_ Angela exclaimed.

~/~\~

Sam was strapped to an operating table. His eyes were taped open.

“You can relax.” Doc Benton said. “It’s all gonna be okay. Ain’t nothing gonna happen here that you got to worry about, Sammy. Your chances of coming out of this procedure alone? Very, very high.”

“How do you know my name?” Sam asked.

“Oh… I know. You think I’m some kind of monster, don’t you? Well, I got to tell you, I have never done one thing that I did not have to do.” He replied. “This whole eternal-life thing is very high-maintenance. If something goes bad, like my eyes here… you got to replace them. And sometimes things get damaged, like when your father cut out my heart. Now, that… that was very inconvenient. So, I’m sure you can understand all the joy I felt when I read all about myself in his journal. Kind of makes this whole thing just feel like some kind of family reunion, don’t it? Well, I guess it’s about time that we get this thing started.”

Doc Benton brought his scoop very close to Sam’s eye. Three shots rang out, shooting Doc Benton from behind. He turned and saw Dean and Angela.

“Shoot all you want.” Doc Benton said.

Doc Benton approached and Dean and Angela let loose two more bullets. Doc Benton threw Dean and Angela against the wall and they fell to the ground. Doc Benton approached again, leaning down. Angela plunged a knife into Doc Benton’s chest.

He laughed. “A knife? What part of immortality do you not understand? Pity about the heart, though. It was a brand-new one.”

“Good.” Angela smiled. “It should be pumping nice and strong…” she held up a bottle of chloroform. “Sending this stuff throughout your whole body. See, I picked up your little bottle upstairs and dipped the knife in it.”

Doc Benton collapsed.

~/~\~

Doc Benton awoke strapped to the operating table. Dean, Sam, and Angela stood over him.

“Oh, hiya, Doc,” Dean said. “Wakey, wakey, eggs, and bac-y.”

“Please.” Doc Benton said.

“Please what?” Angela raised a brow. “You’ve been killing poor bastards for over 150 years and now you got a request?” she asked. “Shut up.” She rolled her eyes.

“No, you don’t understand.” He replied. “I can help your friend. I know what he needs.”

“We might have to cut him up into little bits,” Dean said. “You know, this immortality thing is a bitch”

“I can read the formula for you. You know… immortality… forever young, never die.”

“Dean,” Sam said.

“Sam,” Dean replied.

Sam walked out of the room, indicating Dean and Angela should follow.

“What?” Dean asked.

“I mean, we’re talking hell in three weeks. Or needing a new pancreas in like half a century.” Sam said.

“Yeah, well, you can’t exactly get those at a Kwik-E-Mart.” Dean retorted.

“It’s not perfect, but it buys us more time to think of something better,” Sam replied. “We just need time, Dean. I mean, please, just… just think about it.”

“No,” Dean said.

“Dean, don’t you want to live?” Sam asked.

“What he is isn’t living, Sammy.” Angela murmured.

“Look, this is simple,” Dean said,

“Simple?” Sam asked.

“To me, it is, okay,” Dean replied. “Black or white; human, not human.” Dean walked back to stand in front of Doc Benton. “See, what the Doc is, is a freakin’ monster. I can’t do it. I would rather go to hell.”

“You don’t understand.” Doc Benton called out. “I can help you!”

Dean covered a rag with more chloroform and placed it over Doc Benton’s mouth. “Now, Angie and I are gonna take care of him.”

Angela nodded. “You can either help us or not, Sam…” she said quietly. “It’s up to you.”

~/~\~

Doc Benton woke and lit a match. He was in a box. He couldn’t get the lid open.

He was in a refrigerator laid in a hole in the ground. The Doc’s book lied on top.

“No! No! Don’t! Stop it! I can help you! No!”

“Enjoy forever in there, Doc,” Dean said.

Dean, Sam, and Angela began shoveling in the hole.

“Let me out! I can save you! No. Don’t.”

~/~\~

Bela slowly walked down the hallway and picked the lock on a door. She removed a gun from her jacket and quietly entered. She raised the gun and put three bullets into the bodies lying under the covers on each bed, then moved closer, turning on a bedside lamp. A clock beside the lamp showed it was 11:56 pm.

Bela pulled back the covers to find a sex doll slowly deflating. She checked the other bed, two more sex dolls. The phone rang and she quickly picked it up.

 _“Hiya, Bela,”_ Dean said. _“Here’s a fun fact you may not know. I felt your hand in my pocket, when you swiped that motel receipt.”_

“You don’t understand.” She replied.

He was in the car with Sam and Angela. _“Oh, I’m pretty sure I understand perfectly,”_ Dean said. _“See, I noticed something interesting in your hotel room. Something tucked above the door. An herb. Devil’s shoestring? There’s only one use for that. Holding hellhounds at bay. So you know what Angie and I did, we went back and we took another look at your folks’ obit. Turns out they died ten years ago today. You didn’t kill them. A demon did your dirty work. You made a deal, didn’t you, Bela. And it’s come due.”_ He said. _“Is that why you stole the Colt, huh? Try to wiggle out of your deal, our gun for your soul?”_

“Yes.”

_“But stealing the Colt wasn’t quite enough, I’m guessing.”_

“They changed the deal. They wanted me to kill Sam and Angela.”

_“Really! Wow, demons untrustworthy. Shocker. That’s, uh, kind of a tight deadline too, what time is it? Well, look at that, almost midnight.”_

Bela was crying. “Dean, listen, I need help.”

_“Sweetheart, we are weeks past help.”_

“I know I don’t deserve it.”

_“You know what, you’re right, you don’t. But you know what the bitch of the bunch is? If you would have just come to us sooner and asked for help we probably could have taken the Colt and saved you.”_

“I know, and saved yourself. I know about your deal Dean.”

_“And who told you that?”_

“The demon that holds is. She holds mine too. She said she holds every deal.”

_“She?”_

“Her name’s Lilith.”

_“Lilith? Why should I believe you?”_

“You shouldn’t but it’s the truth.”

_“This can’t help you, Bela, not now. Why are you telling me this?”_

“Because just maybe you can kill the bitch.”

 _“I’ll see you in hell,”_ Dean replied, hanging up.

Bela sat on the bed listening to the dial tone. She hung up and took a deep breath just as the clock clicked over to midnight. A deep howling started in the distance, then closer vicious growls began.


	31. No Rest for the Wicked Part 1

Dean was running frantically through the woods, fleeing from hellhounds. Suddenly he stopped, confronted with a hellhound that had cut in front of him. He stood for a few beats, looking at it. Dean suddenly turned on his heel and ran back the way he came from, the hellhound on his trail. Suddenly it tripped him and got him down on the ground while he screamed, blood splatter on his face.

~/~\~

Dean woke up from his nightmare. He was breathing heavily from the terror of his dream. He blinked a few times and then looked down on the book he had fallen asleep on. It was opened to a page about the hellhounds, with a picture of them, and they were not the prettiest things you’ve seen. Faces made out of human bodies. Sam and Angela walked in.

“Dig up anything good?” she asked.

Dean closed the book and shook his head a bit, not looking up at them. “No.” he replied, clearing his throat. “Nothing good.”

“Well, Bobby has. Finally.” Sam said.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. A way to find Lilith.” Angela said.

“Oh. With just uh,” he checked his watch. “Thirty hours to go.” He said. He smiled. “Hey, why don’t we just make a TJ-run, yeah? You know… some senoritas, cervezas, uh, we could… what’s Spanish for ‘donkey show’?”

Sam snickered. “So if do save you… let’s never do that.”

“Yeah…” Dean muttered. He looked down at the books as Sam and Angela sat next to him.

“Hey, Dean.” Angela murmured, sighing. “Look, we’re cutting it close, I know. But we’re gonna get this done. I don’t care what it takes, Dean. You’re not gonna go to hell. We’re not gonna let you.” She said softly. Dean looked over at her. “I swear. Everything’s gonna be okay.”

Dean’s facial expression changed as he looked at Angela. He suddenly looked very scared. Her face was completely distorted, flinging to the sides at a rapid pace. Then she suddenly changed back to Angela again, showing Dean was just hallucinating.

“Yeah, okay,” Dean whispered.

~/~\~

They were all looking at a map of the United States. Bobby placed an old tracking device over it. The device had three wooden ‘legs’ coming out from a glass or crystal ball at the top. The ball had a flat, metal piece going around it with symbols on it. Further down the legs, there was another metal piece, only bigger. From the ball hung a pendulum device that was sharp on the end so that it could pinpoint a specific place.

“So you need a name, that’s the whole kit and caboodle,” Bobby said. “With the right name, right ritual, ain’t nothing you can’t suss out.”

“Like the town Lilith’s in?” Angela asked.

“Kid, when I get done, we’ll know the street,” Bobby replied.

He began the ritual, started to swing for the pendulum, and then chanted in Latin. As Dean, Sam, and Angela watched, the pendulum began to search over the map until it suddenly stopped.

“New Harmony, Indiana,” Bobby said.

Dean looked up at him from the map.

“And we have a winner,” Bobby added.

“Alright.” Sam pushed the pendulum away and looked at Bobby. “Let’s go.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on.” Dean replied. “Let’s all shut up there, Tex.”

“What’s the problem?” Sam frowned.

“What’s the problem?” Dean raised a brow. “Come on, where do I begin? I mean, first of all, we don’t even know if Lilith holds my deal. We’re going off Bela’s intel? Now when that bitch breathes, the air comes out crooked. Okay. Second, even if we could get to Lilith, we have no way to gank her. And third, isn’t this the same Lilith that wants your and Angie’s heads on a pike? Should I continue?”

“Ain’t you just bringing down the room,” Bobby said.

“Yeah, well, it’s a gift.” He retorted.

“I have to agree with Dean, Sam…” Angela sighed.

“I’m sorry, so then what are we supposed to do, guys?” Sam asked.

“Just ‘cause I gotta die doesn’t mean you and Angie have to, okay,” Dean replied. “Either we go in smart or we don’t go in at all.”

“Okay, fine,” Sam said. “If that’s the case I have the answer.”

“You do?” Angela asked.

“Yeah. A sure-fire way to confirm it’s Lilith and a way to get us a bona fide demon-killing Ginsu.” Sam replied.

“Damn it, Sam, no,” Dean said.

He turned his back to Sam and walked a few steps.

“We’re so past arguing.” Sam retorted. “Dean, I am summoning Ruby.”

Angela went wide eyes. “What?!” half yelled. “Sam, no,” she said.

Dean turned around, facing Sam. “I agree with Angie, to hell we are!” he yelled. “We have enough problems as it is.”

“Exactly,” Sam replied. He walked up to them. “And we’ve got no time and no choice either.”

“Come on man, she is the Miss Universe of lying skanks, okay,” Dean said. “She told you and Angie that she could save me, huh, lie. She seems to know everything about Lilith but forgot to mention, oh right, Lilith owns my soul!”

“Okay, fine. She’s a liar. She’s still got that knife.” Sam said.

“For all we know, she works for Lilith,” Angela replied.

“Then give me another option, guys. I mean, tell me what else.”

“Sam’s right,” Bobby admitted.

“No! Dammit!” Dean yelled.

Bobby looked at him, surprised. They all looked at each other for a few seconds.

Dean calmed down. “Just no. We are not gonna make the same mistakes all over again.” He replied. Bobby and Sam looked at him, shocked. “You guys wanna save me, find something else.”

“Dean’s got a point,” Angela whispered.

Sam and Bobby looked at him as he walked back to the table he was sitting at before and sat down with a contemplative look. As Sam looked at him, sighing, Bobby grabbed his jacket.

“Where are you going, Bobby?” Sam asked.

“I guess to…” he threw out his arms. “Find something else.”

Sam sighed, looking into space. Angela ran a hand through her hair.

~/~\~

Sam was on his knees and had drawn a triangle on the floor with symbols in every point and put candles outside every point. In the middle was a circle with a bowl of a green, dry substance in it. It was obvious that he was ignoring Dean and Angela’s decision to not summon Ruby.

“Ad construngendum ad ligandum eos partier et solvendum.” Sam chanted.

There was a sound behind Sam. He turned around but there was no one there. He turned back, looking up at the roof, sighing.

“Et ag congregatum eos coram me.” He continued.

He took up a box of matches and struck one. He watched the flame for a beat and then threw the match into the bowl. The content ignited and fired up and then it calmed down and burnt out. Sam got up off the floor and slowly turned to look behind him as the floor creaked. There was still nothing there.

“You know, phones work too,” Ruby said.

Sam turned back and saw Ruby leaning against the doorway. She smiled at him.

“Hey, Sam.” She said. “How’s tricks?”

Sam didn’t look happy to see her, instead, he looked angry. “How do you get around so fast?”

“I got the Super Bowl jet pack.” She replied. She began to walk towards him. “So. You called?”

“Did you know?” Sam asked.

“Um, gonna need a tiny bit more.” She replied.

“About Dean’s deal. That Lilith holds the contract.”

“Yes, I did.”

“And… what? You didn’t think that was important?” he asked.

“You weren’t ready.”

“For what?”

“If I told you, you three yahoos would have just charged after her half-cocked, and Lilith would have peeled the meat from your pretty, pretty faces.”

“Well, we’re ready now.” He replied. “I want your knife.”

She looked at him for a beat and then began walking around him slowly. “You’re right about one thing.” She murmured. “You are ready. And now’s the time, too. Lilith’s guard is down.”

“Is that so?”

“She’s on shore-leave. A little R and R.” she replied.

“The hell’s that mean?”

“Trust me, you don’t wanna know. You didn’t lose those hex bags I gave you?”

“We’ve got ‘em.”

“Good. Then she won’t sense that you’re coming.”

Sam turned around and looked at her as she had gotten behind his back while walking around him.

“So you’ll give us the knife?”

“No,” Ruby said flatly.

“But you just said—

“You wanna charge in with one little pigsticker?” she asked. “It’s a waste of a true-blue window. Like getting Hitler with that exploding briefcase. Forget it.”

Sam was getting angry. “Okay, then how?”

“I know how to save your brother, Sam.”

“No, you don’t!” he yelled. “You told Dean you couldn’t! You’ve been lying to me all along, so just give me your damn knife!”

“You’re not the one I’ve been lying to.”

“Oh, so you can save him?”

“No. But you can.” She replied. “And Angie could too, but I’ve kind of given up on her.” She shrugged. “Don’t like her much either.”

Sam narrowed his eyes. “What?”

“Sam, you and Angie, you two have got some God-given talent. Well, not ‘God’-given but you get the gist.”

“All that psychic crap?” he asked. “That’s gone ever since Yellow-Eyes died.”

She shook her head. “Not gone, dormant. And not just visions either. Why do you think Lilith is so scared of you and Angie?”

“Right… she’s scared of us.”

“If you and Angie wanted, you could wipe her off the map without moving a muscle.”

“I don’t believe you.” Sam glared.

“It’s the truth,” Ruby said.

“And you decided to tell me this just now?” Sam asked. “And Angie has the psychic crap too, why don’t you tell her?”

“Um… demon,” Ruby said. “Manipulative’s kinda in the job description. And like I said, I gave up on her. She doesn’t like me, I don’t like her. Fact is, is that you would have never considered it. Not until you were—

“Desperate enough?”

They exchanged a look, and then she shrugged as he looked away.

“You don’t like being different. You hate the way Dean looks at you sometimes.” She replied. “Like you’re some kind of sideshow freak. But suck it up because we’ve got a lot of ground to cover, and we’ve got to do it fast. But we can do it.”

Sam clenched his jaw, looking at the floor. After a beat, he looked up at her.

“Look. Call me a bitch, hate me all you want, but I have never lied to you, Sam.” She said. “Not ever. And I’m telling you. You… can save your brother, and I can show you how. And if you can convince Angie… then that’s even better. To have the both of you.”

“So that’s you, huh?” Dean asked. “Our slutty little Yoda.”

He and Angela showed up behind her, neither of them looking happy.

“Dean.” She replied, turning around. “Angie.” She added, looking at them and all her softness in her voice that she directed at Sam was gone. “Charming as ever.” She told Dean sarcastically.

Angela and Dean began walking towards her and Sam.

“Aw, we knew you’d show up. Because we knew Sam wouldn’t listen.” Angela said.

Sam glanced at her but looked away quickly.

“But you’re not gonna teach him anything, you understand me?” Dean said.

“Or me. There’s no way in hell anyone would convince me to do that.” Angela glared.

Dean nodded in agreement. “Over my dead body.”

“Oh. Well, you’re right about that.” Ruby replied.

“What you are gonna do is give us that knife. And then you can just go crawl back into whatever slop you came from and never bother me, Angie or my brother again. Are we clear?”

“Angie and your brother are carrying bombs inside of them and we’d be stupid not to use at least one of them.”

“Dean, Angie, look, just hold on for one—

“Sam!” Dean shouted angrily. “Don’t. Come on man, what, are you blind? Can’t you see that this is a trick?”

“That’s not true.” Ruby defended.

“She wants you and Angie to give in to this whole demonic psychic whatever, okay,” Dean replied. “I mean hell, she probably wants you and Angie to become her little anti-christ Super Stars.”

Ruby was getting angry. “Like I’ve said before, I’ve given up on Sam’s girlfriend.” She rolled her eyes. “I want Lilith dead. That’s all.”

“Why?” Angela asked.

“I’ve told you why!” Ruby shouted.

“Oh, right, yeah. Because you were human once and you liked kittens and long walks on the beach.” Dean mocked.

“You know, I am so sick of proving myself to you. You wanna save yourself, this is how. You dumb, spineless dick.”

Dean looked at her, and then turned around as if to leave but instead came back swinging his right hook and punched her in face, looking pissed. Angela went wide-eyed and gasped, and Sam backed away a bit, surprised by the hit. Ruby took a few steps back with the hit, looked up at him as she wiped the blood from her lip, and after a beat hit him once with her right fist and then her left.

“Ruby, hey!” Sam yelled.

She went around, hit him in the back causing him to double over. She then kneed him in the face, sending him into a beam and sliding to the floor. As she turned around to leave Dean hit her in the face once with his left and as he was about to hit with his right she ducked out of the way and going with his momentum kneed him in the stomach. Sam was on the floor holding a hand over his mouth and Angela ran over to him as Ruby threw more punches at Dean. She kicked him in the face causing him to fall to the floor. He tried to get up but she walked over and kicked him hard in the stomach sending him rolling over the floor. He started to get up and she came over and took hold of him, helping him to face to face only to head-butt him so he fell backward to the floor again. As she stood looking at him, he grinned and slowly rose to his feet.

“The hell are you grinning at?” she glared.

“Missing something?” he asked. He pulled up her knife in front of his face.

She looked at him like ‘you bastard’. “I’ll kill you, you son of a bitch.”

She rushed towards him but midway she was stopped by an invisible wall. She tried to walk past it once as Dean just looked at her. She looked at him and then looked up at the roof. There was a devil’s trap on the roof. Sam took his hand from his mouth, surprised by this. Angela stood beside him, a bit less surprised at this. Ruby looked at Dean again, pissed. He smiled a little, looking at the tap, and then he looked at her, still holding up the knife.

“Like I said…” he put down the knife. “Angie and I knew you’d come.”

He walked away from her, towards the staircase. She followed him with her eyes.

“Wait! You’re just gonna leave me here?”

Dean stopped, waiting for Sam and Angela, and ignored Ruby. “Let’s go, guys.”

Sam and Angela came over hand in hand as Dean took a deep breath, blinking hard, and then he started up the steps followed by Sam and Angela.

“Oh, oh you, so you’re just too stupid to live, is that it?” Ruby asked. “Then fine! You deserve hell! I wish I could be there, Dean. I wish I could smell the flesh sizzle off your bones! I WISH I COULD BE THERE TO HEAR YOU SCREAM!”

“And I wish you’d shut your pie hole, but we don’t always get what we want.” Dean retorted.

~/~\~

Among the weapons lied a gun with the whit handle that Dean’s used over the years. Dean picked up a clip. He, Sam, and Angela were loading weapons in dead silence.

Sam sighed. “We’re just gonna let Ruby rot down there?” he asked.

“That’s the idea,” Angela muttered.

“Angie, what if, uh…” he started hesitantly. “What if Ruby’s right?” he asked. “What if we can kill Lilith?”

She looked up at Sam, frowning. “What?” she asked. “No thanks, I’m not using that psychic crap.”

Dean looked up at Sam with an angry, doubting look.

“Quit looking at me like that,” Sam told Dean. “But Angie—

“Sam! I said no!” she snapped. “I won’t decide for you, but I’m not doing it!” she added. She huffed slightly.

Dean looked over at Angela, slightly shocked when she snapped. He looked back at Sam. “What, are you gonna give her the Carrie-stare and Lilith goes ‘poof’?” Dean asked.

“I don’t know what Ruby meant,” Sam replied. “You know, maybe we should go ask her.”

“Sam, you wanted the knife, I got you the knife,” Dean said.

He walked over to the table.

“Guys, just listen to me for a second.” Sam tried. “Last time Lilith snapped her fingers and put thirty demons on our ass, and all we got’s one little knife? I mean, like you said, we go in smart or we don’t go in at all.”

“Well, this ain’t smart,” Dean replied.

“We got one shot at this, guy. Just one. So if there’s a sure-fire way then maybe we should just talk about it.”

Dean walked up to him as he spoke. “Sam. We are not gonna make the same mistake all over again.”

“You said that but what does it even mean?” Sam asked.

“Don’t you see a pattern here? Dad’s deal, my deal, now this?” Dean asked. “I mean every time one of us is, is, is up the creek the other is begging to sell their soul. That’s all this is, man. Ruby’s just jerking your chain down the road. You know what it’s paved with and you know where it’s going.”

He turned around, sat down against a table, and picked up the weapons again. Sam shook his head a bit and walked around to the other side of the table.

“Dean,” Sam said. He saw down next to Dean, looking at him as he continued to assemble the weapon. “What do you think is gonna happen? This is me, I can handle it.”

Dean stopped what he was doing, looked at the floor, and shook his head.

“And if it’ll save you…” Sam said.

“Why even risk it?”

He looked up at him. Sam looked away for a beat and then back at him with the obvious answer.

“Because you’re my brother. Because you did the same thing for me.” Sam replied.

Dean scoffed. “I know… and look how that turned out.”

Dean looked at Sam and Sam looked away at this.

“All I’m saying…” Dean said, getting choked up. “Sammy, all I’m saying is that you and Angie are my weak spots.”

Sam and Angela looked over at him at this. Angela walked over to them.

“You two are.” He replied. “And I’m yours.”

Sam was also getting choked up. “You don’t mean that. We’re… we’re family. Angie’s our family too.”

“I know. And those evil sons of bitches know it too.” Dean replied. “I mean, what we’ll do for each other, you know, how far we’ll go? They’re using it against us.”

“So what? We just stop looking out for each other?” Sam asked.

Angela looked at Sam and shook her head. “No, we stop being martyrs, Sammy.” She whispered. “We, we, we stop spreading it for these demons.”

Dean picked up Ruby’s knife, nodding in agreement. “We take this knife, and we go after Lilith our way. The way Dad taught us to, the way Angie’s dad taught her to. And if we go down, then, uh… then we go down swinging.”

Sam just looked at them.

“What do you think, babe?” Angela asked softly.

Sam looked down on the floor, thinking, then he looked up at Dean and Angela. “I think you two totally should have been jamming ‘Eye of the Tiger’ right there.”

Angela laughed and smiled at him. She kissed him softly and kissed her back, smiling into the kiss.

Dean rose. “Oh, bite me.” He said. “We totally rehearsed that speech, too.” He added.

Sam pulled away and smiled at what Dean said. “So, Indiana, huh?”

“Yeah, where Lilith’s on shore-leave,” Dean replied.

“Yeah, I guess,” Sam said.

“Tell me something, guys,” Dean said. Sam and Angela looked up at him. “The hell’s a demon do for fun?”

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela were in the Impala about to leave. Dean tried to start up the car but it wouldn’t start up. All three of them looked worried. Suddenly Bobby showed up outside Dean’s door, scaring the three with his sudden appearance.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Bobby asked.

Dean looked at him and the distributor cap he held in his hands. After a beat, the three got out of the Impala and walked up to Bobby who wasn’t looking very happy. But then neither was Dean.

“We got the knife,” Dean said.

“And you intend to use it without me.”

Sam and Angela came from around the car and stood in the middle next to Dean and Bobby, watching them.

“Do I look like a ditchable prom date to you?” Bobby asked.

“No, Bobby. Of course not.” Angela replied.

“This is about me… and Sam and Angie. Ok? This isn’t your fight.” Dean said.

Bobby walked up to Dean, furious by those words. “The hell it isn’t!”

Dean looked at him, taken aback by this.

“Family don’t end with blood, boy, Angie’s proof of that,” Bobby said. “Besides, you need me.”

“Bobby,” Dean said.

“You’re playing wounded. Tell me, how many hallucinations have you had so far?”

Sam and Angela looked at him, a bit confused by this. They looked over at Dean who turned to look at them, tilted his head one time, and then turned back to Bobby.

“How’d you know?” he asked.

“Because that’s what happens when you’ve got hellhounds on your butt,” Bobby replied. “And because I’m smart.”

Dean looked down at the ground, as Sam and Angela watched him. Bobby handed Dean the distributor cap.

“I’ll follow,” Bobby said. He walked away from three, over to his own car. After a moment Dean walked over to the hood of his car, ready to put back the part. “Don’t be stopping to pee every ten minutes either,” Bobby added.

Dean stopped in his tracks, shook his head a bit with a raised brow. He turned around looking back at Sam and Angela who looked at him and sighed.

~/~\~

The three were driving down the road, on their way to Indiana.

“Hey, Dean?” Sam asked.

“Yeah?”

“You know if this doesn’t uh… this doesn’t go the way we want, I want you to know—

“No. No, no, no, no.” Dean said.

“No what?” Sam frowned.

Dean looked over at Sam. “No, you’re not gonna bust out the misty good-bye speech, okay? And if this is my last day on earth, I do not want it to be socially awkward.”

Sam looked down and out the window and Dean turned back to the road.

“You know what I do want?” Dean asked.

He reached down to the radio and started up Bon Jovi’s ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’. Angela smiled and Sam looked a bit ‘eeh?’

“Bon Jovi?” Sam raised a brow.

“Bon Jovi rocks, on occasion,” Dean replied. “Isn’t that right, Angie?” he grinned.

“Hell yeah!” she laughed.

“And I walk these streets, a loaded six-string on my back, I play for keeps.” Dean sang. He turned to Sam, nudging him. He looked at Angela. “Come on.” He told them. “’Cause I might not make it back, I’ve been everywhere.” He sang.

“Oh yeah.” Sam and Angela sang.

“And I’m standing tall.” Dean continued.

Sam and Angela laughed and sang along with him.

“I’ve seen a million faces, and I rocked ‘em all.” They all sang. “’Cause I’m a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride. I’m wanted.”

Dean and Angela looked over at Sam who was really getting into it.

“WANTED!” Sam sang, grinning.

Dean looked back to the road and Sam and Angela smiled as they sang with him.

“Dead or alive.” They sand.

“Dead or alive!” Sam sang.

Dean began to lose the will to sing and his smile began to fade. Angela looking in the review mirror and noticed this. She frowned slightly, and her singing died down. Sam just continued singing, laughing, and smiling, not noticing how Dean and Angela stopped singing.

“Dead or alive. Dead or alive. Dead or alive.” Sam sang.

~/~\~

The Impala was driving down the road. The Impala suddenly passed a police car, and the officer saw them pass. He noticed the Impala had a busted tail-light and the officer started up his engine as he watched them and then pulled out on the road with his sirens on.

~/~\~

They all heard the sirens behind them. Dean looked up in his review mirror as Sam and Angela looked over at him. The flashing lights from the police car were now reflecting inside the car and over their faces.

“We getting pulled over?” Angela asked.

Dean looked in his side-view mirror. “I’ve got a busted tail-light. It’s not like we’re in a hurry or nothing.”

~/~\~

The police car stopped behind the Impala. Dean rolled his window down as Sam handed over the license and registration. The police officer walked up to his window, flashlight in hand.

“Problem officer?” Dean asked.

“License and registration, please.”

Dean, not looking at him, handed out the needed papers. The officer took and looked at it as he talked to Dean.

“Do you realize you have a tail-light out, Mr. Hagard?” the officer asked.

Dean looked up at him and after a beat, his face fell as he looked at him. The officer tilted his head and shined the light on him.

“Yes… yes sir. Uh… you know I’ve been meaning to… take care of that.” Dean replied.

Dean slowly turned his head back toward the road in front of him, his eyes dodging back at the officer during that.

“As a matter of fact…” Dean started.

He suddenly opened the door quickly, hitting the officer in the stomach with it. Dean rushed out of the car at him.

“Dean!” Sam and Angela yelled.

Sam and Angela opened their doors, surprised by Dean’s actions. Dean punched the officer three times in the face as Sam and Angela tried to rub around the car to stop him. He quickly reached down and took out the knife from his belt and thrust it into the jaw of the officer. As Bobby pulled up behind the police car, the officer began to flash with light after Dean just thrust the knife into the demon. Dean pulled out the knife and let go of the officer, who fell dead to the ground. Dean stood over him, arm behind him, panting after the fight. Sam and Angela, shocked moved up behind him. Bobby quickly ran over to them and looked down at the dead demon. He looked back up at Dean, Sam, and Angela, surprised and shocked.

“What the hell happened?” Bobby asked.

“Dean just killed a demon.” Angela breathed.

“How’d you know?” Sam asked.

Dean was still breathing heavily and looked around on the ground and then turned to Sam and Angela who still looked shocked. Dean looked worried.

“I just knew,” Dean replied. He turned back and looked down at the officer. “I could see its face. Its real face under that one.”

Bobby who was looking down at the officer looked up at him by those words. Dean looked up at him and met his gaze for a second.


	32. No Rest for the Wicked Part 2

The four hunters were putting up branches over the police car, to hide it from plain sight and so that nobody could find it.

“So what, now you’re seeing demons?” Sam asked.

“I’ve seen all kinds of things lately but… nothing like this,” Dean replied.

“Actually it’s not all that crazy,” Bobby replied.

“How’s that not crazy?” Dean asked.

“Well, you’ve got, just over five hours to go?” Bobby asked. “You’re piercing the veil, Dean. You’re glimpsing the B side.”

“A little less new age-y please,” Dean said.

“You’re almost hell’s bitch. So, you can see hell’s other bitches.”

Dean looked first surprised and then his mock-face came on. “Thank you.”

“Well, actually it could come in pretty handy,” Angela said.

“Oh, well, I’m glad my doomed soul is good for something,” Dean replied sarcastically.

“Damn right it is,” Bobby said. “Lilith’s probably got demons stashed all over town. We can’t let them sound the alarm. She knows we’re here, we’re dead before we’re started.”

“Well, this is a terrific plan.” Dean nodded. “I’m excited to be a part of it. Can we go, please?”

He began to walk away with that and the others followed. The car was as hidden as they could manage, with branches all over it.

~/~\~

Sam was looking at the Fremont house from a pair of binoculars. He could see how Lilith was smiling while Mrs. Fremont was serving her a plate of cake and Mr. Fremont was getting out of his chair, probably to get ice cream. Pat was sitting dead at the end of the table with his head on his plate.

“It’s the little girl,” Dean said. “Her face is awful.”

Sam, Bobby, Angela, and Dean were standing by a window in the house across from the Fremont house, looking over at the family. Sam lowered the binoculars.

“Alright then, let’s go,” Sam whispered. “We’re wasting time.”

He walked past Bobby, Dean, and Angela, behind them, and moved for the door. Angela grabbed his wrists, stopping him from leaving.

“Wait!” she hissed.

“For what? For it to kill the rest of them?” Sam asked.

“Yeah, and us too if we’re not careful,” Dean replied. “Look. See the real g-getter mailman on the clock at nine PM?”

Sam held up the binoculars. He saw the mailman sorting mail at the back of his car. Sam lowered the binoculars.

Dean pointed. “And Mr. Rogers over there.”

“Demons?” Bobby asked.

Sam looked through the binoculars again and saw ‘Mr. Rogers’ sitting in a chair in his home, smoking a pipe and reading a book, his chair facing the windows.

“Yes.” Dean nodded.

“Ok, fine,” Sam said. “We, we, we, we, we ninja pass those guys, sneak in.”

“Then what?” Dean asked. “Give a ‘Columbian necktie’ to a ten-year-old girl, come on!”

“Look, guys, I know it’s awful,” Sam replied.

“You think?” Angela asked.

“This isn’t just about saving Dean. This is about saving everybody.” Sam said.

“She’s gotta be stopped, you two,” Bobby said.

Angela sighed and then nodded hesitantly.

Dean, who looked contemplative, turned around and looked at Bobby and then out the window.

“Oh, dammit,” Dean said.

~/~\~

The mailman was standing by the back of his truck, flipping through mail. Suddenly there was a sound across the street and the mailman looked up. Dean was standing by a fence, looking over at him as if he’d been caught. The mailman’s eyes turned demon-black and he took off after Dean. Dean ran back the way he came from, closely followed by the demon-mailman. Dean rounded a corner of the house the fence belonged to, and when the mailman came around the same corner a second later he ran right into Sam holding Ruby’s knife and it was shoved into his body. Sam struggled with him as he turned around Angela came up behind the mailman and put a hand over his mouth so his death didn’t alarm the rest of the demons. Sam pulled the knife out and the demon-mailman flashed with a light a few times and then Angela dropped him to the ground. Dean came up to stand next to her.

~/~\~

Sam grabbed the knife that was located in Mr. Rogers’s belly, who was lying dead on the ground. He pulled it out and stood up next to Dean and Angela, wiping it off. Dean grabbed Mr. Rogers’s feet and dragged him away. He then came back and took off in another direction, Angela following. Sam stood still, looking around.

~/~\~

Dean and Angela were running through some trees and came up by a fence, where Ruby suddenly appears and shoved them into a fence, holding them there.

“I’d like my knife back, please,” Ruby said. “Or your necks snap like chicken bones.”

Sam came up behind her and held up her knife to her throat. “They don’t have it. Take it easy.”

She backed away from Dean and Angela, releasing them from the fence. Sam still stood next to Dean and Angela. Angela looked at her.

“How the hell did you get out?” she glared.

“What you don’t know about me could fill a book, sweetheart,” Ruby replied.

Dean looked at her and suddenly reacted to her face, moving his head back just a bit with wider eyes. “Whoa,” Dean said.

“What?” Ruby asked.

Dean looked to the side, not wanting to look at her anymore. He glanced at her once or twice but that was it.

“Nothing.” He replied. “I just, I couldn’t see you before, but you’re one ugly broad.”

“Sam, give me the knife before you hurt yourself,” Ruby said.

“You’ll get it when this is over,” Sam replied.

“It’s already over,” Ruby said. “I gave you and Angie a way to save Dean, you both shot me down. Now it’s too late. He’s dead. And I’m not gonna let you two die too. Even if Angie isn’t my favorite person.”

“Try and stop us, and I’ll kill you. Bitch.” Sam replied.

“Hit me with your best shot, baby.” She challenged.

Dean, who had been looking in the direction he and Angela were running towards, turned around to them.

“Guys, guys!” Dean exclaimed. “Have your little catfight later.”

A father a son were standing outside on their porch looking at Dean, Sam, Angela, and Ruby. A man at the next how was standing with a briefcase, staring at them. Two other men were staring at them with black eyes.

“So much for the element of surprise,” Angela said.

“Go. Go. Run. Run!” Sam said.

They opened the gate and ran, aiming for Lilith’s house. As they did a lot more people were running after them.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela reached the house first and Sam started picking the lock on the door. Ruby and Dean came up behind them, looking towards the lawn as more people were running after them.

“What the hell is taking Bobby?” Dean asked.

Sam was having a problem picking the lock and more people were running for them.

“Come on, Sammy,” Angela said anxiously.

“I’m trying!” Sam exclaimed.

Suddenly when one demon reached the lawn, the sprinklers turned on and she began to flail, screaming, as the water burned her. Another demon was caught in the water and he screamed and flailed as well. Dean had a small smile on his lips. A lot of possessed people were standing outside the lawn, a few people in the water, and the four standing on the porch. Sam was still working on the lock and Dean began to really smile at the barrier. Sam got the door opened and as he, Ruby, and Angela went inside Dean laughed at the demons and then walked inside the house too.

~/~\~

Sam, Ruby, and Angela were standing over a body and Dean was closing the door, not having seen it yet. He turned around and saw it, and his serious game face was on again.

“You think Lilith knows we’re here?” Dean asked.

“Probably,” Ruby replied.

They looked around a bit and then walked into the living room. Sam went in first, holding the knife out as if it were a gun. Ruby and Angela were behind him, closely followed by Dean.

~/~\~

The cabinet behind them opened and someone went for Dean, who heard the creak of the door and quickly turned around, putting up one hand and he captured Mr. Fremont and put a hand over his mouth, turning them around to face Sam, Angela, and Ruby. Dean made ‘shushing’ sounds to make Mr. Fremont be quiet and calm down.

“We’re here to help. Ok?” Dean whispered. “I’m gonna move my hand, and we’re gonna talk nice and quiet, okay?”

Mr. Fremont nodded his head, yes and Dean slowly removed his hand.

“Sir, where is your daughter?” Angela asked.

“It’s not… it’s not her.” Mr. Fremont replied.

“Where is she?” Sam asked.

“Upstairs. In her bedroom.”

“Okay, okay, okay,” Dean whispered. “Listen to me. I want you to go downstairs to the basement. Put a line of salt at the door behind you. Do you understand me?”

“Not without my wife.” Mr. Fremont said.

“Yes, without your wife,” Dean replied.

“No.”

Dean punched his lights out since they didn’t have time to argue about all this. He picked him up and put him over his shoulder and gave the others a look. He then started walking.

~/~\~

Sam, Ruby, and Angela were walking upstairs, backs against the wall, and as stealthy as possible. Sam was in the lead with the knife in front of him. When they got up they looked around a bit and then Ruby walked to the door to their right, they all shared a look, Sam and Angela nodded at her, and then she went in, closing the door behind her. Sam and Angela started slowly for the door to the left. They leaned against the closed door, trying to listen to any sign of life or Lilith. After a beat, Sam opened the door as quietly as possible. They quickly slipped in.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela walked slowly into the room, Sam held the knife out in front of him. Lilith’s bed had thin drapes around it and through them they saw Mrs. Fremont and Lilith lying on the bed, asleep. Sam and Angela slowly made their way around it while keeping their eyes glued to them. As they rounded the corner of the bed Sam shifted the knife in his hand so it was now in a stabbing position. As quietly and slowly as possible, Angela removed the drapes and Mrs. Fremont was breathing heavily, scared as she saw Sam and Angela. Lilith was nuzzled into Mrs. Fremont’s shoulder, apparently asleep.

“Do it!” Mrs. Fremont said quietly.

Sam slowly raised the knife, looking down at the child Lilith had possessed. She stirred a little.

“Do it.” Mrs. Fremont repeated.

Sam was looking at Lilith, trying to collect himself to stab a child.

“Do it!”

Lilith moved a little, apparently starting to wake up. Mrs. Fremont got more and more afraid and panicked and Sam was staring at Lilith, pulling himself to the point of stabbing her.

“Do it! Do it!”

Lilith woke up and started to rise on the bed, eyes hardly opened.

“Hurry!”

Lilith screamed when she opened her eyes and saw Sam who lunged for her. Angela went wide-eyed, realization dawning at her. At the last moment, Sam was stopped by Dean who grabbed hold of his arm.

“It’s not her!” Dean yelled.

The girl was breathing fast and heavily from what was just about to happen. Ruby was standing behind Sam, Dean and Angela, who probably came in with Dean.

“It’s not in the girl anymore.” Dean continued.

The girl was sobbing, scared. “Mommy!”

“Mommy’s here. Mommy’s here. It’s okay.” Her mother hushed.

The girl cried.

~/~\~

They all came down the stairs, Mrs. Fremont and Dean first.

“Alright, no matter what you hear,” Dean said. “You, your husband, and your daughter stay in the basement.”

She went through the basement door and Dean followed. Sam, Angela, and Ruby walked past them.

“Well, I hate to be a ‘told you so’,” Ruby said.

“Alright Ruby, where is she?” Angela asked.

“I don’t know.”

They entered the living room.

“Could she get past the sprinklers?” Angela asked.

“Her pay grade, she ain’t sweating the holy water,” Ruby replied.

“Ok, you win,” Sam spoke up. “What do I have to do?”

Ruby looked at him questioningly and Angela frowned.

“What do you mean?” Ruby asked.

“To save Dean,” Sam said.

Dean came up behind Sam.

“What do you need me to do?” Sam asked.

Dean grabbed him from behind, trying to turn him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Sam pulled loose from Dean. “Just shut up for a second.” He replied. “Ruby!” he said to her.

“You had your chance. You can’t just flip a switch. We needed time.”

“Well, there’s gotta be something,” Sam replied. “There’s gotta be some way, whatever it is, I’ll do it.”

Dean came up behind him again, grabbing him,

“Don’t, Dean! I’m not gonna let you go to hell, Dean!” Sam yelled.

“Yes, you are!” Dean replied.

Angela went wide-eyed and the three looked at each other.

“Yes, you are,” Dean said calmly. “Both of you will.”

Sam and Angela just stared at him, breathing.

“I’m sorry,” Dean said. “I mean this is all my fault, I know that. But what you’re doing, it’s not gonna save me. It’s only gonna kill you. And you don’t wanna drag Angie into that.”

Sam looked away for a second, tears building in his eyes. Angela looked at Dean, tearing up.

“Then, what am I supposed to do?” Sam asked.

“Keep fighting,” Dean replied. “You and Angie gotta take care of each other. Take care of my wheels. Sam, remember what Dad taught you… okay?”

Sam nodded, holding his tears back

“And remember what I taught you.” Dean continued. He looked at Angela. “You take care of him.” He whispered. “And fight as hard as you can.”

She nodded, tears slowly sliding down her cheeks. She ran and hugged Dean tightly.

“Thank you.” She whispered. “For everything. You’ve… you’ve been like that awesome, awesome older brother I never had. Thank you.” She said, her voice cracking. She sniffled, and pulled away, looking up at him, trying to force a small smile for him.

He looked at her, smiling softly. As tears built in Dean’s eyes, the grandfather clock ticked, and then it struck midnight. Dean looked over at it, then looked at Sam and Angela, who were also watching the clock. Sam turned his head, tears spilling down his cheeks, and looked at Dean. Angela looked up at Dean, tears now pouring down her cheeks. Dean gave them a little smile as he tried to keep himself calm and hold back his tears.

“I’m sorry, Dean,” Ruby said. “I wouldn’t wish this upon my worst enemy.”

Hellhounds could be heard howling and Dean’s face fell as he turned around to where they were heard. Sam and Angela looked at him and then looked in the same direction, understanding that something was up. A hellhound growled.

“Hellhound,” Dean said.

“Where?” Angela asked.

“There.”

They looked over, but couldn’t see anything, but they could hear its growl. Ruby’s face fell as she saw it. Dean bolted out of the room once it began to move. The others followed, and the hellhound followed quickly behind them. They ran into another room and closed the door fast in the face of the hellhound.

~/~\~

Dean took out the bag with goofer dust as Sam, Angela, and Ruby stood against the doors, holding them shut while the hellhound was pounding to get in. Dean ran over and threw himself at the floor by the door and frantically started pouring out the dust. The pounding suddenly stopped for a second and they stood still, then Dean bolted for the window and poured out the dust on the windowsill.

“Give me the knife, maybe I can fight it off,” Ruby said to Sam.

Sam looked at her, a bit confused. “What?”

“Come on! That dust won’t last forever.”

Dean turned around and looked at them from behind Sam. After a few seconds, Sam took out the knife, about to hand it to Ruby.

“Wait!” Dean exclaimed.

Sam and Angela turned around to Dean, looking at him.

“You wanna die?” Ruby asked.

“Guys, that’s not Ruby. It’s not Ruby!” Dean yelled.

Sam and Angela turned back to Ruby, who without touching them, flung them hard up against the wall, pinning them. He dropped the knife and it fell to the floor. Without touching Dean, she hit him and flung him on top of the table, pinning him. Dean grunted as he held up his head so he could look at Ruby. Sam and Angela looked from Dean to Ruby.

“How long have you been in her?” Dean asked.

Ruby’s entire facial expression changed and became childlike. Lilith had taken over the body Ruby possessed.

“Not long,” Lilith replied. She looked down at her body as she spoke. “But I like it. It’s all grown up and pretty.”

She looked up at Dean again, her eyes turning white.

“And where’s Ruby?” Angela asked.

“She was a very bad girl, so I sent her far, far away.”

She tilted her head step by step and her neck crunched with each tilting motion.

“You know, I should have seen it before… but you all look alike to me,” Dean said.

After a beat, she snapped her head to Sam, who looked over at her. She started walking slowly towards him.

“Hello, Sam. I’ve wanted to meet you for a very long time.” Lilith said.

She grabbed hold of his chin, forcing him to face her. Against his will, she gave him a kiss and a sizzling could be heard from their lips meeting.

“Your lips are soft. I can see why Angie likes you.” She smirked.

Sam moved his head up and to the side, trying to get loose from her hand.

“Right, so you have me,” Sam said. “Let my brother and Angie go.”

He looked down at her.

“Silly goose. You wanna bargain, you have to have something that I want. You don’t.”

“So, this is your big plan, huh?” Dean asked. “Drag me to hell. Kill Sam and Angie. And then what? Become queen bitch?”

“I don’t have to answer to puppy chow.”

Dean was clearly in pain on the table, trying to hold himself up against her restraint. Lilith suddenly moved from Sam, as she looked at Dean, and walked over to the door while Dean followed her with his eyes. She grabbed hold of the door handle and while looking at Dean she exclaimed: “Sick ‘em, boy.”

Sam and Angela snapped their heads to Dean at this and Dean looked over at them and then at the door. Lilith opened the door and the goofer dust was blown away as the hellhound got him. Lilith laughed and smiled. It ran at Dean on the table and grabbed him by his legs and pulled him down as he screamed. It began to rip him apart as Sam and Angela stood against the wall, helpless, scared, and panicked.

“No! Stop!” Angela yelled.

Lilith just looked over at her and then down at Dean who was struggling on the floor. The hound had already slashed his right leg and was now attacking his chest as he screamed in pain. He turned over onto his stomach.

“STOP IT!” Sam yelled.

Lilith just watched with a little smile on her face. The hound slashed Dean on his back and his shoulder.

“No!” Angela screamed.

He flipped over and it slashed him over his chest, blood gushing out. Sam and Angela just watched in horror.

“No. Stop it,” Sam said.

Dean was taking his last breaths now.

“STOP IT!” Angela yelled.

The blood poured out of Dean’s chest and he wasn’t screaming anymore, but still wasn’t dead.

“NO!” Sam yelled.

Lilith smiled at Sam. “Yes.”

She held out her hand and suddenly white light erupted from it. As it built up Sam and Angela turned their heads, eyes closed. Suddenly her white light was retracted, her eyes were still white, but slowly turned back to normal, and she looked confused and shocked. Sam and Angela were on the floor, huddled in a corner next to a cabinet and the light was gone they slowly took down their hands, looked up at her and they rose into a standing position. She looked at the floor, afraid. She held ut her hand and looked at them.

“Back.” She said.

Sam took a breath and started walking towards her.

“I said, back.”

Sam, with a determined look on his face, bent down and picked up Ruby’s knife. Lilith looked very afraid now, as he just looked determined and hateful. Angela walked slowly after him, glaring at Lilith.

“I don’t think so,” Sam growled.

He pulled back his hand and motioned to stab her but Suddenly Lilith exited Ruby’s body. The black smoke went out of her body as she screamed. Dean’s body was on the ground, lying still on the floor, bloody. Ruby’s body collapsed. Dean wasn’t moving, his eyes opened. He was Dean. Sam and Angela looked down at him, Sam breathing heavily. Dean and Ruby were lying next to each other, both dead. Tears filled both Sam and Angela’s eyes, and they slowly walked over to Dean. Sam began to cry and Angela tried to fight back tears, failing, and breaking into a sob as they bent down next to him. Sam picked up Dean, holding his head close to him. Angela was on the other side of Dean, clutching his jacket tightly.

“No… no… Dean…” she whimpered.

“Dean…” Sam said.

~/~\~

Suddenly chains could be seen everywhere. There was thunder and lightning and Dean could be heard screaming. Dean was in the middle of the chains, hooked up by his arms and legs.

“HELP! NO! SOMEBODY HELP ME!”

A hook was attached to his right shoulder, he was bloody and sweaty. There was blood in his mouth and he looked terrified.

“Sam!! Angela!” He yelled. “SAAAAAAM! ANGIE!”


End file.
